Love's such a drag
by Liev Ragnarok
Summary: Slight AU. Temari and her brothers are back in Konoha after so long, attending school once again there. Their best friend was Shimakaru, but he doesn't seem to remember them! But when he starts to, the Naruto Teams get forced into another dimension...
1. The Smell of  a Dream

Yay-a! My second fanfiction! This time it's Naruto! X3. Wee I'm weird! Anyway, this is a ShikaTem (Shikamaru X Temari) fanfiction, so if you don't like the pairing, don't flame me about it.

By the way, some of the characters may be out of character, but that's because I wanted to make some of them in my own way. Don't worry they still pretty much act the same, but just a bit nicer or something.

It is in first person, yet again like my first. Though this one switches between Shikamaru and Temari.

Enjoy!

**Che, I'm such an idiot for never telling anyone what the ages of these guys were. Shikamaru is 15 (near 16) and Temari is 17 (near 18). You guys should know how old everyone else is by just that. Well to say Gaara is 15 (near 16) and Kankuro is 16 (near 17). **

**Thank ye's.**

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

Hot tears rolled down my face. They fell off my cheek and onto the pale face below mine. A pale face of a girl, a beautiful girl. I was holding this girl in my lap, my hand on her wound that was gushing out blood endlessly.

"Don't… die on me!" I yelled desperately through choked tears. "You can't… you just can't die…" I stared down into the girl's dark emerald eyes, which were shedding tears like mine. My hand was upon one of her cheeks, gently cradling it. She grabbed that hand with hers gently, smiling up at me.

"Shika… maru… I… I…" Those were the last words that slipped from her soft lips. Her body went limp and her emerald eyes went dull. I screamed out in agony as more tears rolled down my face. Then I jerked up, my eyes flying open. I looked around to see where I was. A clock on a table to my right ticked with the small hand between the one and the two, while the big hand was pointing at the six. It was on thirty and the fact that it was dark outside indicated it was one thirty in the morning. I looked around again and spotted a desk, a table, and a drawer. This was my room, not the forest floor.

It had been a dream.

I closed my eyes and let myself fall backwards onto my bed. This was the fifth time this month that I had had this dream. That girl in my dream seemed to always be dieing and each time she did I felt my heart rip apart. I opened my eyes and tried to remember the girl. The only thing that I could make out about her was her face and eyes, but mostly those dark emerald eyes. I couldn't remember if I knew her or if I had seen her somewhere. Not even a name came to mind. Man, you'd think I would remember such a beautiful girl with dark emerald eyes. I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

"Man, this is such a drag…"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

Five days earlier in the Village of Suna.

"What?"

"You heard me, Kankuro. Starting tomorrow you, Gaara, and Temari are going to school in Konoha."

"But Sensei-"

"No buts, Kankuro! It's already been decided! We leave later tonight, so pack and pack up a lot. You three will be there for awhile." And with that Baki-sensei left the room, slamming the sliding door shut. Kankuro, Gaara, and I were left to ponder and to pack up. Kankuro was staring at the door speechless, while Gaara was leaning against a wall. I stared at the ground.

_We're going to Konoha?_ I thought in my mind. _But… I… I can't!_ I placed my hands to my cheeks. I could feel them starting to warm up, blushing. My heart starting to beat at a fast pace

"… Temari?" Gaara's voice, I barely even heard him. I had something on my mind, and it was so in my mind that… "TEMARI!" Gaara's hand touched my shoulder making me jump. Kankuro came over in front of me, curious and worried.

"Hey Temari, you okay?" Kankuro asked. I looked up at him, then to Gaara. I shook them off and crossed my arms.

"Of course I'm okay." Kankuro didn't look convinced; Gaara on the other hand was grinning. I blinked at him then backed up. "W-what?"

"You're blushing." I could feel my face warm up again.

"I-I am not!" I stammered as I backed up more. Gaara stayed where he was but he never stopped grinning. Kankuro looked between us completely confused.

"You don't want to go back to Konoha, do you?"

"Well… I…" I stared at the ground. "No…" Gaara moved up to me and looked at my face.

"It's because he's there…" I blinked. "Shikamaru." My heart fluttered at his name. I backed up clumsily falling onto my butt. Gaara slightly laughed and bent down in front of me. Kankuro stared at us then did a small "Ooh" understanding now. He walked over to his things starting to pack up.

"So Temari has a boyfriend now."

"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled over at Kankuro who only laughed at me.

"So you like him a lot, a WHOLE lot." I could feel my face warming up even more.

"Yeah, you're in love with him, aren't you Temari." My brothers were teasing me, making me feel all fluttering inside about this. I stared at the ground, blushing hard. Gaara patted my head and placed his arm on my head.

"… …"

"Don't worry, Temari. I'll help you with this, I promise." I looked up at him and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, that'd be great… I guess… Thanks Gaara." I got up quickly pushing him over onto the floor and sticking my tongue out at him. He stared for a second then threw something hard at me. "OW! WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Kankuro turned around and watched us as I chased Gaara around the room.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Five days later we were in front of the gates of Konoha in the middle of night. Baki-sensei was up ahead talking to some of the Konoha guards, while Gaara, Kankuro, and I were waiting with piles of bags in our hands. Apparently we're staying in Konoha for almost a year! We had almost flipped out when Baki-sensei told us that when we were about to leave Suna. We had tried to argue with him, which had gotten us nowhere.

I sighed greatly thinking about how long I was actually going to be here, to be near him, Shikamaru. My heart fluttered thinking about him. I shook my head to get out of it. We're supposed to be representing the Village of Suna, not freaking out over seeing people.

Gaara and Kankuro could see my anxiety, so they placed a hand on my shoulders trying to comfort me. I slowly looked at both of them then shook them off slightly ticked off. They were teasing me again, those stupid brats… Gaara grinned while Kankuro rolled his eyes. Baki-sensei came back to us as the main gates were opening. That was the cue for us to grab our stuff, which we did of course.

"Alright," Baki-sensei started to say as we walked, "You three are going to be adopted by the Nara family for the year. Kakashi Hatake is up there waiting for you to take you there. So hurry up!" We blinked at him then ran up to where Kakashi-sensei was. He greeted us, kind of, then nodded to Baki-sensei and walked off. We followed behind him quickly, not wanting to lose him.

After about ten minutes we were at the Nara residence. Kakashi knocked quietly and waited for someone to come out. When someone did, that's when I realized who's house this was. This was SHIKAMARU'S house. I stared blankly at his dad, Shikaku. Gaara and Kankuro were equally amazed at whom we had to stay with.

"Well, um. This is kind of late Kakashi…" Shikaku said yawning. Kakashi-sensei nodded his head at him.

"Yes, sorry Shikaku, but you'll have to deal with it. Remember, these three are going to stay with you for the year." Shikaku nodded slightly, mumbling something.

"This is kind of a drag, Kakashi." He looked over at us then blinked. "Oh hey, I know these kids. These kids are Shikamaru's best friends from when he was little." All three of us rolled our eyes. This guy was as bad as Shikamaru. He was barely awake at all. Kakashi shook is head and looked at us.

"Well I'll see you three in the morning around six." And with that he was gone. We stared after him, then picked up our stuff and looked at Shikaku. He stared at us then shook his head and let us come in.

"You guys can sleep in here tonight." He said opening a sliding door. "Though you'll need to sleep in Shikamaru's room after that." We nodded then entered the room setting our stuff down.

_Stay in Shikamaru's room?_ I couldn't believe my ears! This was ridiculous! I never expected this to happen. I knew we were going to get an "adopted" family for a year, but Shikamaru's family? I couldn't be happier about this! I smiled slightly at the thought of being near Shikamaru everyday. It made me blush and have a flutter in my stomach. Gaara and Kankuro were looking over at me, slightly laughing. I blinked at looked them. Then I turned around not wanting to face them.

"Let's go to bed guys, we only get about five hours asleep maybe less before Kakashi-sensei has to pick us up." I bent down near my bags and started to unpack.

"Okay, sure Temari. Whatever 'you say'." I was so going to kill Kankuro for his sarcastic remark.

After about twenty minutes later we were lying in our beds and staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow was the big day. The day we go to school and re-meet all our childhood friends. The day I get to see Shikamaru again. I sighed and closed my eyes thinking only of him. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**I'm sorry for my lack of knowledge on the teams, I've only just gotten to where they are older. So I don't know much information about their older selves. (And I got there, to those episodes, after I started writing Chapter 7, so sorry for the weird OOC on the characters or AU on this thing.)**


	2. Fighting for a Memory

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

I woke up in a panic frenzy. I looked to my right, Gaara. My left, Kankuro. My eyes scanned the room.

_Where I am?_ Then it clicked. I was in Konoha with my two brothers. I had forgotten that we had only just arrived here last night. Sighing I stared at the ceiling wondering how today would turn out. I slowly got up after a bit waking up Gaara and Kankuro. They both mumbled and turned over. I shook my head and got up, grabbing my fan. Turning around towards them I bonked them both on the head with my fan, hard. That got them both up.

"Come on you two! Up! Kakashi-sensei's going to be here soon." They both glared at me but did as they were told. The next ten minutes we got ready for school. Shikaku came in to check up on us a little bit later.

"Hungry?" He asked. We stared at him then nodded following him into the kitchen. We sat down waiting for the food to be served. I looked around and noticed that Shikamaru wasn't at the table.

"Where's Shikamaru?"

"Hmm? Oh he's sleeping. He had a bad night so I'm letting him sleep in." I nodded slightly as food was placed in front of us. We ate and thanked Shikaku then grabbing our weapons we left the house to wait for Kakashi-sensei. It was around six o'clock so he should be here soon. Gaara leaned against the wall, Kankuro sat on the ground, and I balanced against my fan.

We waited and waited and still no Kakashi-sensei. I looked up at the sky and calculated about what time it was, seven. Now I'm ticked off, he's not here and it's starting to annoy me.

"Where the he-" Sudden footsteps made me look to my right. I was on guard ready to attack when I noticed who it was. I stood up straight and waved toward them. It was Sasuke and Sakura. They stared at me and my brothers confused slightly, then Sakura's face lit up.

"Temari!" I smiled and nodded. She grabbed Sasuke's hand and ran over to us. I grinned as I watched them; I also noticed that Sasuke was slightly blushing. Aw, how cute.

"Don't you two make a cute couple…" They blinked and blushed, then turned away from each other slightly. Sakura let go of Sasuke's hand and Sasuke placed his hands in his pocket. Kankuro and I laughed slightly at them, while Gaara said nothing. Though Gaara did come up next to me.

"It's good to see you, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha." Gaara had an odd way of talking. He always said a person's full name when talking to them. Well other people besides Kankuro and me. But I never figured out why he did that. Oh well, it doesn't really matter.

Sasuke leaned against a wall and looked at us. "So the Sand Siblings are back in Konoha. On what business…"

"No business really." Kankuro responded, getting up. "We're going to school here again. That's all really."

"What? No way! You guys are actually going to be here again?" Sakura clapped her hands. "That's so cool!" I grinned and leaned against my fan again.

"So what are you three doing here instead of at the school? Are you lost…" Gaara rolled his eyes and responded to him.

"No, we're waiting for Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke laughed slightly. "Then you'll be in for a long wait, cause he's always late." Kankuro sighed and I shook my head. I was getting annoyed again, which made me want to swing at something. And I was just about to when Kakashi-sensei appeared above us.

"Yo, sorry I'm late. I forgot to set me alarm clock-" Sakura pointed a finger up at Kakashi-sensei.

"LIAR!" He scratched his head and smiled slightly, then jumped down and came over to us.

"Well time to go then. Though now that I think about it, you probably don't need me since Sasuke and Sakura are here." I twitched slightly raising my fan.

"YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING FOR MAKING US WAIT FOR YOU FOR SO LONG!" I was really ticked off now and I was going to swing my fan down on Kakashi-sensei when Gaara pulled me downward suddenly.

"Calm down Temari." I looked up at him from the ground, glaring. Then I turned away from him crossing my arms.

"Hmmph." Kakashi-sensei was staring blankly at us.

"Well I guess we should all go then." He started to walk off with Sasuke and Sakura following him. Kankuro and Gaara helped me to my feet and we turned around to follow, but Kakashi-sensei raised his hand making us stop. "Hey you three leave your weapons. You won't need them for school unless it's required." I twitched slightly but held my anger. We went back to the house and dropped them off then we quickly ran after them.

Finally, school had started and that's where all the trouble started too.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I flew up in my bed. I was sweating all over and my hands were shaking. That dream, that wretched dream of that girl dieing came up again. This time it was different though, this time she died in a completely different way. I had only been a spectator in that dream, but what I saw freaked me out so badly.

I had killed her.

Me! I was the one who had killed her in my dream. Or perhaps it was just someone who looked like me, but whatever. All the same it was still me who had killed her. The person, me, had ran into her with my kunai. The person had stabbed her multiply times in the stomach. After that he just threw her body aside like it was nothing, in the way. Then he turned toward me, grinning. It was horrible to see and I couldn't rip my eyes away from him. He ran toward me with his kunai out. I had tried to move and cast my Shadow Possession, but my body wouldn't. Then he stabbed and that's when I woke up.

I closed my eyes trying to regulate my breathing. After about ten minutes I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. They were shaking, badly. I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

"Man, what a drag. Why is this always happening to me…" I sighed again and stared straight ahead instead. Then I realized that it was Monday, school was today and by the look of that clock I WAS LATE. It read eleven-fifteen. I got up out of bed and hurriedly placed my clothes on.

_Asuma-sensei is going to kill me for this!_ I rushed down stairs quickly and ran out the door nearly crashing into my dad.

"Whoa Shikamaru! Where are you going in such a hurry?" I stared up at him, and then pushed past him. "Hey, Shikamaru!"

"School dad! That's where I'm going. Man, why didn't you wake me up!" I ran up the street not waiting for his answer. I've been late before, but this was REALLY late. It was practically lunchtime now, and that meant that I had to sneak into the classroom. Great, could this day get anymore worse!

-oO0-o)

I was right behind the door that led to the classroom. I placed my head against it gently, listening. No sound. That meant everyone was outside already. Good, that gave me a chance to sneak in without getting caught. I was about to open the door and go in when I heard a noise behind me; I quickly turned around and saw that it was only um… um. Damn it!

I hit my head shaking it. I couldn't remember the raven headed kid's name. I stared at him as he stared at me.

"Shikamaru… what are … you doing…" He probably thought I was acting really weird.

"I'm trying to think, baka." I closed my eyes and thought quickly. I opened my eyes back up and looked at him. "Sasuke, that's your name right?" Sasuke nodded to me and came over.

"You're late to school Shikamaru."

"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to tell me that." I sighed and went into the classroom with Sasuke following me. "I just woke up late, that's all." I went up to my seat and sat down. Sasuke sat next to and stared. I glanced at him and stared back.

"Asuma-sensei is going to kill you."

"I know."

"You do realize you're going to get punished for it."

"I know."

"You missed something important too…" I sat up straight and glared at him.

"Jeez Sasuke! I don't have that much of a memory loss! I know!" Sasuke grinned and laughed slightly at me. I sighed and leaned back.

"Oh, not going to yell at me anymore?"

"It's too much of a drag to." Sasuke rolled his eyes. The classroom doors opened up and Asuma-sensei came in. Great, I'm dead. Asuma-sensei looked over at us, surprised. Then he glared at me.

"Shikamaru…" Sighing, I got up and went over to him.

"Yeah, yeah. I know I'm late." He crossed his arms and shook his head at me. I rolled my eyes and placed my hands in my pocket waiting for him to tell me my punishment. Sasuke watched us curiously from the background, grinning slightly. Asuma-sensei was about to say something but stopped himself and placed his hand on his chin. A small smile crept to his face.

_Oh great. He's got some big punishment in mind that he's not going to tell me till later. _I sighed and looked up to see that the other shinobi were coming into the classroom. Lunch had ended and I didn't even get lunch!

"Go sit down Shikamaru, I'll tell you after class." I nodded and walked up to where my seat was. I was about to sit down when I noticed three new people in the classroom. I blinked and looked at them. There was a blond-head girl with four pigtails on the same bench-seat as mine, a boy with red hair that was spiky-ish sitting next to her, and another boy with brown hair that was on the bench-seat across from me. I stared at them wondering why they were here. By the look of their forehead protectors and the clothing they wore showed that these three were Sand Shinobi.

"SHIKAMARU, SIT DOWN ALREADY." I sighed and dropped into my seat, the three Sand Shinobis looked at me shocked. That blond girl next to me let out a small gasp. What? Did I surprise her or something? Why the heck would she gasp like that?

_Sigh, this is such a drag. Why do I have to sit next to Sand Shinobi? Why the heck are they here in the first place anyway? Are they attending school here for diplomatic reasons or something? This is such a pain._ I placed my head on the desk and looked up at Asuma-sensei. He was going over on the board about something that dealt with kunai handlement. That is such old stuff, why is he going over it again? Man, whatever. I placed my face down on the desk and closed my eyes, and before I knew it I was asleep.

-oO0-o)

I got a rude awakening by a piece of chalk thrown at my mind.

"Shikamaru! Wake up! Stop sleeping in class." I mumbled slightly and sat up with a blank expression on my face. I rubbed my head yawing. Asuma-sensei sighed slightly and shook his head. "Putting that aside, it's time to give out a couple of assignments for people." He looked up and over at me grinning slightly.

_Great, now what? _I thought still rubbing my head. _Oh wait. He's about to give me my punishment for the day. Man, what a drag. Why can't I ever come to school on time?_ I mumbled slightly as Asuma-sensei started to talk again.

"Alright folks, here's what's going to happen. Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro here aren't that good in hand-to-hand combat." Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro? That's what their names were? "So I'm going to assign a couple of people to them." A big groan came from them and the girl next to me raised her hand. "Yeah Temari?"

"Why do we need to go through this training? We know taijutsu, and we have our own weapons of choice. How come you're making us go through this?" The girl, Temari her name apparently was, stared blankly at Asuma-sensei.

"Temari, you guys might know taijutsu, but everyone in this room could beat you if you HAD to fight them in taijutsu. You three rely too much on your ranged attack weapons that you don't practice taijutsu much. Your sensei has told me that you need some training in that area so that's what I'm doing here." She stared at him then looked toward Gaara. "Understand that?"

"Yes sensei…"

"Good, now here are the people going to teach you." Man was I wrong. I thought he was going to punish me. He's only giving the Sand Shinobi trainers. Phew. I leaned back slightly closing my eyes as he called out names. "Naruto." Naruto looked up, surprised. "You're going to teach Kankuro."

"What?" Kankuro, the browned Sand Shinobi, and Naruto yelled at the same time.

"Don't argue. Now Neji, Hinata you two are going to teach Gaara since he seems to be the one to know the least about taijutsu." They both nodded to Asuma-sensei. Temari giggle slightly while looking over at Gaara. I could just imagine his face. Getting two people to train you? That would totally be a drag. "And Shikamaru." I opened my eyes at the sound of my name. "You're training Temari." My eyes grew wide and I stared blankly at him. Everyone was looking up at me. I mean EVERYONE in the room. It was ridiculous. I stood up and glared at Asuma-sensei.

"Excuse me? Why do I have to train someone?"

"Consider this your punishment for coming in late." I groaned and sat down in my seat.

"This is such a drag…"

"You also have to supervise the training of all three of them." I sighed greatly and placed my head on my desk. This should tell me to NOT come in late for school ever again.

"Temari, aren't you lucky…" I heard someone whisper close to me.

"Shut up Gaara!" Well someone's a bit upset. I looked up and looked to my right. Temari was glaring at the redheaded boy, Gaara. He was slightly grinning at her. I had no idea what was going on.

"Alright, class dismissed. And all the shinobi that I mentioned to train stay after. You three as well." Asuma-sensei gestured toward the Sand Shinobi. I sighed and watched as the others left the classroom. A girl with long blond hair in a ponytail and a long bang coming out in front of her face came up to me.

"Hi Shikamaru! How are you doing?" Ino. That was her name. She was one of my teammates. A boy with brown hair and a bag of chips came up behind her. Choji. My other teammate.

"Mmm…" That was my response to her "how I was doing". She rolled her eyes and waved to me.

"Well see you later then!" Ino ran out the door with Choji behind her. The classroom was silent expect for Naruto's voice. He and Neji were talking about the training that was going to occur.

"I'm surprised Asuma-sensei didn't pick Sasuke to train him." Neji grinned slightly at Naruto.

"Oh yeah! I'm better than Sasuke! I can handle this!"

"You sure about that."

"Um… Big brother Neji… please stop." A girl with purple hair and white eyes, Hinata, came up next to them with her hands in front of herself. Neji and Naruto looked up at her. Both sighed and nodded to her. Hinata smiled and bowed. "Thank you. Oh, um. Big brother Neji, Father wanted to know what you'd like for dinner…" Neji looked down and sighed greatly shaking his head.

"Just, whatever. He can make whatever." Hinata sighed gently and looked down. The thing is Neji wasn't on very good terms with Hinata's father even though Hinata's father wanted to be on good terms with Neji. Yeah, just because Hinata calls Neji Big brother doesn't mean they're siblings. They're cousins actually. Anyway enough with explaining all that.

Asuma-sensei came up to our rows with sheets of paper in his hands. Most likely the place we were supposed to train the Sand Shinobi.

"Alright you guys. These papers tell you were the best place to train is." Told yeah. "I want you guys to meet in front of the main gates that lead to the Forest of Death tomorrow morning at seven." Why? That's a stupid place to meet. Asuma-sensei handed out the papers to us. I looked at mine as he gave me two.

"What's this one for?" I said looking at the second sheet.

"That's for you to mark down how the others are progressing. Remember Shikamaru, you're supposed to supervise them."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." I sighed and stared at the papers. _What a drag._

"Alright, just bring what you need for training. I'll be there to tell you more." He walked down to the front of the room. "You're dismissed." I got up and stretched. Man, this day is just getting worse by each passing moment. First I'm late, then I have to train someone, now I have to supervise people. Why does this always have to happen to me?

"Shikamaru, can you stay for minute." Now what? I placed my hands in my pocket and went down to Asuma-sensei.

"Yeah?" He looked around to make sure no one else was around, and then turned to me.

"How's your memory doing, Shikamaru?" I stared at him blankly, and then I looked toward the ground. I had almost forgotten.

I had lost my memory almost a year ago. Asuma-sensei said that a bad accident occurred during our training. Apparently I didn't remember anything but my name, my abilities, and my knowledge. It was terrible. When I had woken up in the Konoha Hospital it was unfamiliar faces all around me. Everyone was shocked when I had sat up and said. "Who are you people?"

It's been a hard year. I had to spend time around the people I had forgotten in order to remember them. My parents and my teammates were the easiest to remember since I was with them all the time pretty much. But everyone else, like Naruto, Sasuke, Neji and so forth were harder since most of time they were either off on a mission or training.

I looked up at Asuma-sensei who had a worried look on his face. I smiled slightly. "It's getting better. It's starting to get easier for me to remember people's names. Though I forgot Sasuke's name this morning." I laughed slightly, but a sad expression came onto my face.

"Shikamaru, why were you late?"

"The dream." He already knew what the dream was. That wretched dream of that girl dieing right before me. "But that was last night. After I fell back asleep around two, I had a different one." He looked at me curious to hear it. So I told him. He listened intently as I described how the "me" killed the girl I kept dreaming about and how the "me" had came and decided to kill me too. After I had finished he patted my shoulders.

"Well just hope to get a good night's sleep then." I nodded and looked over to my right when I heard running. I raised an eyebrow wondering who had been running down the hallway in such a hurry. I looked back toward Asuma-sensei wondering if he knew, which his face told me he did. I wasn't going to ask though; I was bushed.

Rubbing my left shoulder I walked out of the room. I waved backwards to him and headed out. Man, this day has been such a drag…


	3. And the Training Begins

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

A sliver of the moon was right overhead indicating to me that it was midnight. I was on my butt, sweating. I had been training the moment I got out of school today since I wasn't tired at all, and the fact that I was going to have to teach some chick taijutsu. I stared up at the sky, no clouds whatsoever.

"Sigh, I guess it's time to head home then." I got up and brushed myself off then I headed home. It was peaceful and quiet in the town. Everyone was sleeping, even the animals. Man, I wish I was sleeping right now.

When I arrived to my house I opened the door slowly so I wouldn't wake up my parents. Going in and closing the door, I took off my shoes and headed up the stairs to my room. Quickly and quietly I entered my room and headed to my bed. That's when "disaster" struck. I tripped on something and landed face first onto something soft. Which I realized was a person when I heard the "soft" thing scream. I stayed still as shuffling occurred. The light was turned on and I realized whom I had landed on. It was that girl from the sand village Suna, Temari. And my face had landed smack between her breasts. I had also landed completely on top of her

My eyes moved up and connected with her eyes. I felt my face warm up suddenly and I saw hers blush greatly. I quickly flew up and fell backwards onto her legs slightly. I stared at her confused and flushed at the same time. Two other people moved into my view and I recognized them as the other two Sand Shinobi, Gaara and Kankuro, from school.

"What the hell is going on here?" I yelled out suddenly. "Why are you three in my room? Or am I just in the wrong house?" They stared at me slightly shocked at my sudden break out. No one answered me so I was going to yell out again when suddenly my dad into the room. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. We both had confused expressions on our faces. Then he sighed and scratched his head.

"Um, Shikamaru. I forget to tell you that… These guys are staying here with us." I stared at him blankly. "For a year."

"What? Man, what a drag. I have to deal with three other people."

"Yeah, and they're staying in your room too." This day is just getting weirder and worse by the moment. My dad looked over at the other three. "Hey, um you guys alright?"

"Uh yeah we're fine, Senpai." My dad looked slightly embarrassed at being called Senpai.

"Hey call me Shikaku. Senpai is too proper for me."

"No, that would be rude." Gaara stood up and looked over at me. I got up quickly brushing myself off.

"Wow. You could learn a couple of manners from these guys, Shikamaru." I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. Just explain to me why WE have to take care of these guys for a year…" I looked at my dad. His eyes got a sad expression.

"Because Shikamaru… they were, well these three were your…" He sighed and looked at them, then to me. "They were your best friends when you were little." My eyes widen. My best friends? I don't remember that… Oh wait, that's right I wouldn't remember that.

"Oh… I see." I said sadly, then sighing I went over to my bed and got into it. I turned away from them and stared at my clock.

_My best friends, eh._ I shrugged and mumbled under my breath. I could tell that they were all looking at me, probably worried for me. I didn't care. After a few more minutes the lights were turned off and shuffling occurred behind me. Then it was all silent. I sighed and closed my eyes to drift off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

-oO0-o)

Six thirty. That was the time it was right now. Way too early for me. I yawned greatly as I watched the others talk to each other. Not everyone was here, wait scratch that. Naruto was the only one not here, which made Asuma-sensei slightly annoyed. Usually I'm late, but that was hard to do when you had three people in your house that dragged you out of bed. Yeah, Kankuro dragged me out of bed because he felt like it. Now I have a headache.

I glared in his general direction. He wasn't even paying attention to me at all, so there was no reason to really glare at him. I sighed and leaned against a rock waiting for Naruto. Gaara walked up to me and leaned next to me. I looked at him kind of confused and just shrugged closing my eyes.

"Shikamaru…" I opened my eyes and looked at Gaara.

"What?"

"It's true isn't it," I raised an eyebrow. "You have no memory of us at all." I stared at him, then sighed and hanged my head sadly.

"Yeah, I don't remember you three at all. I barely even remember my friends in Konoha." I stared at the ground. I wasn't too much in the mood to talk about my memory loss. Gaara was silent so he probably knew that. I looked up and stared up at the clouds thinking of nothing.

About 10 minutes later Naruto came running around the corner almost smacking into Kankuro. Everyone rolled their eyes and sighed at him. Asuma-sensei walked over and stood between us all.

"Alright you guys. Training's going to start today and now." He looked at Neji, Hinata, Naruto, and me. "I want you guys to locate a good place to train; the place around the Memorial Stone is a good spot. Also I want you four to tell these three what you'll be doing with them, and I want you three to show them what kind of Taijutsu skills you have. Then tomorrow, you'll go to where you practiced today and start to train more. This will be like the second part in the Chunin Exam meaning you need to bring supplies with you tomorrow." I heard some groaning from the others hearing that. I shrugged knowing that was coming. Asuma-sensei looked at us and we nodded to him saying we understood. He nodded back and gave us the signal to be off. We all jumped up and ran to the Memorial Stone.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

I followed quickly behind Shikamaru holding onto a messenger bag that was around one of my shoulders. We were heading off toward the Memorial Stone for training. Thinking about this training thing just makes me so ticked off. We know Taijutsu fine, but apparently Baki-sensei doesn't think so. I sighed, arguing with him wouldn't be any good, and so I'd just have to deal with it.

We landed next to the stone and stopped to rest for a minute. When everyone was recovered Shikamaru walked into the center of us.

"Okay since apparently I have to be the supervisor here, this is what we're going to do." He looked toward Naruto and Kankuro. "You two take the place near here." His gaze shifted over to Neji, Hinata, and Gaara. "You guys will take a place to the south." He turned around toward me. "And we'll take the place near the river. When you guys start training tell me by one of you coming over to the river. I'll come over and watch your progress as I'm supposed to." Everyone nodded to him. "Alright then, let's get started." We all jumped off or ran off toward the place designated. I followed after Shikamaru quickly.

We got to the river quite fast. He stopped under a tree and turned toward me.

"Alright… Um…"

"Temari."

"Temari, this is what we're going to do." He shuffled through his back pocket and pulled out a kunai. "I'm going to stand here and wait for you to come at me. I'll see what your speed is and how well your attacking skills in Taijutsu are developed." I nodded and got into attack position. "Just place your big… whatever is on your back down. You're not going to be using that; all we're using are kunai at the moment." I glared at him slightly and placed my fan against the tree placing my messenger bag next to it. I searched for a kunai and pulled it out. Slowly I walked back over to him and faced him. He got into a defense position and waited for me to attack.

I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly then quickly I charged at him jumping into the air. He grinned slightly and dodged my attack and swung the kunai around to the back of my neck. I twitched and moved his arm away and jumped back. "Try again." He said getting into attack position again. This time I charged at him from the ground swinging my kunai at him. He blocked successfully and swung back. I blocked barely taking a step back. We did this for a bit until Neji came around into view waving at us. Shikamaru nodded to him, which gave me an opening to attack. I swung my kunai toward his arm, but he dodged it by jumping over me and tripping me. I mumbled and got up sighing.

"I see you don't hold back Shikamaru." Shikamaru nodded to Neji placing his kunai away. "Well Hinata and I are ready for you to watch." Neji turned around and ran off. Shikamaru was about to do the same when I yelled out to him saying,

"Wait! Let me come with you Shikamaru." He turned toward and crossed his arms.

"Why?"

"Cause… I don't feel like being here by myself." I looked at his face then turned away from him blushing. I glanced up at him to notice that he was confused. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Fine, fine. You can come." I got up and ran over to him. We both then ran off toward where Neji went.

When we arrived there Hinata was trying to get threw Gaara's sand defense. She wasn't doing a very good job at it though. Neji was sighing and shaking his head and also slightly twitching. He looked up at us when we arrived.

"Is there anyway to get through this sand defense!" Neji yelled slightly. I went over to Gaara and glared at him.

"Gaara…"

"What…" He said looking at me.

"Take. The. Sand. Down." He stared at me, then sighed and placed his gourd against a tree. He walked back over to Hinata and placed his hands up. Then he made a hand sign and said something under his breath. I nodded and walked back over to Shikamaru. "There."

Neji nodded to me then turned to Gaara. "Alright, let's start this then." Hinata got into the famous Hyuuga style and waited for Gaara to bring out a kunai or get into a similar position. Gaara looked at me and I rolled my eyes throwing him a kunai. He caught it and got into a position I taught him a while back. He stared at the ground, thinking. He wasn't used to moving around a lot, so this was a bit hard for him. Shikamaru jumped into a tree and I went with him. That's when Gaara advanced forward. We watched him as Hinata dodged the attack and hit him in the back. He stopped and turned toward her then advanced again except this time he aimed for her feet, tripping her. Shikamaru sat down in the tree and yawned. I looked at him, and then did the same.

"Man, this is such a drag. Why do I have to supervise everyone? It's so boring." He pulled out a paper and stared to write stuff down. He watched Gaara and Hinata for a bit longer then looked over at Neji. "Hey Neji. Come here." Neji looked up at him then jumped into the tree next to him.

"Yes Shikamaru?"

"What is your plan on teaching him Taijutsu?"

"Hinata and I plan to take it slowly with him. Hinata will go first since she is gentler in our Soft Taijutsu. Once Gaara can easily dodge and counterattack her moves I will take over. After he has done that, Hinata and I will both attack at once." Shikamaru nodded and Neji looked toward me. "I assume, Temari, that Gaara is a fast learner?"

I nodded. "Yes, he is."

"So is this alright to do?"

"Yeah, this will be good for him." Neji nodded to me then to Shikamaru. He jumped off the tree and sat below it. I looked at Shikamaru to see a confused expression on his face. I stared for a minute then realized why he had that expression.

"Oh, Gaara's my younger brother Shikamaru. And so is Kankuro… "

"Oh, yeah, I guess I should have remembered that." We both sighed slightly and stared at the ground. Shikamaru not remembering reminded me of what I heard yesterday after class…

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

(bold and italic words mean past memory)

"_**Shikamaru. Can you stay for a minute." I stopped curious to what Asuma-sensei was going to say to Shikamaru. Gaara and Kankuro looked at me and I urged them to leave. They shrugged and did so. I leaned against the wall to listen.**_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_**How's your memory doing, Shikamaru?" Memory? Did… something happen to him? Did he lose his memory? I stared at the ground hoping that wasn't true. It was silent for a bit, I didn't know why and I wasn't going to look to find out. About two minutes later Shikamaru spoke.**_

"_**It's getting better. It's starting to get easier for me to remember people's names. Though I forgot Sasuke's name this morning." I heard him laugh slightly, but he seemed sad when he did.**_

"_**Shikamaru, why were you late?" I stared at the ground, barely hearing anything they said after that.**_

"_**The dream." Dream? What's he talking about? "But that was last night. After I fell back asleep around two, I had a different one." I listened closely to what this dream was going to be about.**_

"_**Alright, there were two me's in this dream. There was a me that was a spectator and a me that was an attacker. I'll call the attacker me just the attacker." He breathed in then out. "This is what happened. It was a dark place with nothing in it really. I was looking out and I saw the girl with the dark emerald eyes standing scared." Dark emerald eyes? My eyes are dark emerald! "And then I saw the attacker in front of her with a kunai in his hand. He advanced on her and then stabbed her multiply times. After that he threw her aside, grinning. He then turned to me and ran at me with his kunai, striking me. And that's when I woke up from the dream." I placed a hand over my mouth; small tears were coming down my face. I had no reason to cry, it wasn't like it was me dieing or anything.**_

"_**Well just hope to get a good night's sleep then." I couldn't hear anymore, I took off running down the hallways and out the doors. I didn't stop running until I reached the Nara Residence.**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

A small tear crept down my face as I came back from my memory. I guess it's true; it's really true that Shikamaru has no memory of us, much less anyone else around here.

I was so busy staring off into the distance that I didn't even notice that Shikamaru had his hand on me.

"Temari!" I bolted up and looked at him.

"W-what?" He looked at me slightly concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why? Is there something you want?" I crossed my arms. He made a small "Che" noise crossing his own arms as well.

"It's time to go watch your other brother's training session." I made a face, but got up and followed Shikamaru waving to Gaara as I ran. We arrived to watch Kankuro and Naruto fight. Kankuro seemed to be doing well, much better than Gaara that's for sure. After Shikamaru asked Naruto what he was planning to do, he told Naruto to meet at the Memorial Stone at noon, and then we left to go back to the river to train some more.

-oO0-o)

We were at the Memorial Stone eating lunch and relaxing from the training. Neji told Shikamaru how Gaara was progressing. It was a bit better than when we had left them earlier. Kankuro and Naruto were doing quite well. As for me and Shikamaru? Well, that was another story.

I couldn't focus because every time I looked at his face I would blush and get distracted. I tried watching his feet to see if I could focus more, but it didn't help it actually made it worse. He just took me down every time. I was probably doing the worse out of my brothers and I. Shikamaru probably thought I wasn't taking this seriously; well… he might be right about that actually. But that didn't matter, what matters is that I can't do this correctly without feeling a flutter rise up in my stomach. I sighed greatly staring at my food that didn't look all that good. I placed it down next to me and looked at the others.

Naruto and Hinata were talking to each other and smiling. They make such a cute couple. Neji was having a conversation with my brothers, well mostly Kankuro. Gaara just stared at them blankly. Shikamaru was the only one, besides me, not talking to anyone. He was sitting on one of the posts staring off into the distance. I watched him sadly. I wanted to go over there and sit with him, but I'm not sure he would like that since he doesn't really remember me. So I stayed put eating my food slowly.

After everyone was done eating we went back to our training sessions. I tried to focus more, but it didn't seem to work. I kept getting distracted by thinking about him which got me hit to the ground. He sighed every time I went to the ground. Rubbing his shoulder he bent down once and looked at me. "Are you even trying?" He asked. I mumbled and tried to attack him then, it didn't work well. After awhile the sun was starting to set and he said that was enough for today. It wasn't right to exhaust yourself with training all day.

We met back at the Memorial Stone and Shikamaru told everyone to be prepared for tomorrow and the rest of the week. We all nodded then went off to home. I stared blankly off as we ran back to Shikamaru's house. He doesn't remember me, so how am I supposed to say: "I love you"?


	4. Reminisce

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

Two weeks. We've been out here for two whole weeks! This was totally ridiculous and a drag. I didn't think it would take this long to train someone. Kankuro seems to be doing the best out of the three, amazingly. He's got Naruto training him so I thought he'd do the worst, but Temari is actually doing the worst. I don't know why exactly either. All I've seen is that when she tries to attack me she's distracted. Makes me think she's not taking this very seriously. Gaara, on the other hand, seems to be taking this training session seriously, which is good… I guess.

The time was nine thirty-three at night or somewhere around there. We had all just had dinner about an hour or so ago. Now we were sleeping near the Memorial Stone as we have been doing for the last two weeks. I can't say that it's been a good night's rest out here. We've had to take like a day off to heal completely from some of the training sessions. Yeah kunai can do some serious damage during training if you aren't careful. I didn't really want to worry about injuries, it makes me start to think about how we should have brought along Sakura since she's the Genin medical shinobi and all.

I stared up at the stars wishing there was a cloud to stare at instead. They were more interesting than stars. The fire behind me crackled slightly, it was dieing out indicating that everyone was going to go to bed. Good, that meant I could go to bed too. I turned over and covered the blanket over my head. Maybe about a minute or so later I thought I had fallen asleep, but I heard some rustling from behind the Memorial Stone that woke me up fully. I sat up wondering what it could be.

"W-what! G-Gaara!"

_Oh it's just the Sand Shinobi. No need to be worried._ I rested back down on the ground and covered my head once again.

"Temari, that look on your face, it means you've thought about it."

"Kankuro! Shut up!"

_Oh just go to bed already. I'm trying to sleep. _I sighed wishing they would just shut up.

"… … NO! I WILL NOT SLEEP WITH SHIKAMARU!"

_SAY WHAT?_ I bolted up and looked toward the Memorial Stone. _What the hell just came out of her mouth?_ I got up and walked over to there looking behind the stone. "What are you guys doing…" All three of them jumped when I talked. Temari seemed to be blushing, though in this light it was hard to see. Gaara and Kankuro I could tell were starting to grin. I stared at them confusingly. "Why are you guys still up…"

"No reason really." Kankuro answered me. Temari turned away from me.

"Well, then just go to bed. We still have training to do tomorrow…" They nodded to me and laid down. "Oh and what's all this nonsense I keep hearing?" I heard someone gasp loudly and also someone snicker. I sighed and shook my head turning around walking back. "Whatever, just go to bed." I got to my bed and plopped down sighing again.

_Man, either I'm dreaming or the people here are just all insane._ I looked toward the ground as silence fell around the camp. My eye caught onto a small movement, a bug. No wait… that's a spider. _Eh, strange I don't remember there being spiders in this area… Oh well. It doesn't really matter._ I watched the spider a little bit longer then drifted off to sleep.

-oO0-o)

Training seemed to get a bit harder for Temari since that night I heard her and her brothers arguing. She was focusing less and less. Man, what a drag to be stuck training her. She needs more concentration…

"You need more concentration, Temari." I said to her after a bit of her failing to make contact with my kunai.

"Don't you patronize me about concentration! You're the one that has none!" I stared at her like she was crazy, and then it hit me. My head started to hurt slightly, but I ignored it. She was referring to something in the past. I just knew she was. Man I wish I never had lost my memory, and then maybe I wouldn't be training this girl. I sighed and shook my head at her.

"Just try to at least make contact with my kunai. Then maybe I'll say you don't need more concentration…"

"THAT'S IT!"

"Huh?" She threw down her kunai and ran over to her fan. She grabbed it and opened it up. "AAH!" I dived into the water as I heard her yell out.

"_WIND SCYTHE JUTSU!"_ Gusts of wind started to blow everywhere above me. The wind was so strong that some of the trees fell over. I stayed down in the water where it was safer.

_Man she's so violent… Why do women have to be so annoying…_ A couple of more seconds and the wind settled down. I came up for air and looked over at her. She was really ticked off by the look of it. I sighed and got out of the water and headed over to her.

"Sorry, sorry. I won't say that again then." She grabbed my shirt and pulled me into the air slightly.

"You better not or next time I won't let you escape from that move!"

"Alright already! I get it, just put me down." She threw me down crossing her arms. About a minute later the others came running over to see what was wrong. Gaara and Kankuro sighed greatly after seeing the damage.

"Temari, stop being so violent. This is a training session, not a killing session." Kankuro placed his hand on her shoulder, which was immediately shrugged aside.

"Shut up, Kankuro. I know already! He just ticked me off that's all."

"Oh? That's why you attacked me with such force?" I got up and glared at her. "Cause I ticked you off? That's no reason to attack me! You could have killed me!"

"I wasn't using that much chakra to kill you!"

"You sure seemed like you were!" Naruto raced over and got in-between us.

"Hey, hey! Settle down you two! This isn't the time to be fighting! Just calm down…" We both turned to Naruto.

"Shut up!" We yelled at him at the same time, after that we turned our backs on each other and stared at the ground. Everyone around us sighed.

"Maybe you two should be apart for a minute." Neji suggested scratching his head.

"Fine by me!" We both said at the same time walking off in different directions. I could feel the eyes of everyone on my back as I walked off away from them. I placed my hands in my pockets and stayed near the river. I didn't care anymore about training Temari; it's too much of a drag to do so.

After awhile I stopped and sighed looking up at the sky. It wasn't like me to stay mad for a long period of time. I plopped down to the ground cross-legged. I placed my hands in front of me into a circle. This was where I would think of something, such as a strategy. I guess it's just an unconscious habit of mine really. I closed my eyes and thought of what I was going to do next. I stayed like that for about another thirty seconds then I opened my eyes and got up placing my hands in my pocket.

"Man, why do I get myself into these things… It's really not my style. All I can do I guess is go back and apologize to her. I'm then one that pretty much started that argument with saying she had a lack of concentration." I sagged my shoulders and turned around walking back the way I had come. Temari probably wasn't going to be there, but I'd wait for her to come back then I'd apologize.

When I arrived at the training area there was no one around, not even Temari.

"Sigh… I was right. She's not even here. I guess I'll just take a nap until she gets here." I went over to the tree and rested against it with my hands behind my head. I closed my eyes and yawned. I tried to fall asleep but I just couldn't. Temari seemed to be on my mind, which was really odd actually because I don't usually think of girls. I kept my eyes closed even when I heard footsteps approach.

_It's probably Temari. _I thought. _Finally she's back, but I'm too comfortable to move…_ I stayed there waiting for her to say something. I heard her stop for a minute then start walking again toward me. Maybe she thought I was asleep. I do hope she's not mad at me anymore because I don't need some annoying woman mad at me. I heard her stop again then I felt a hand being placed down on my chest. I didn't open eyes cause it was a soft touch, not a hard one. So I wasn't really concerned with it. I did open my eyes when I felt someone breathing on me.

I looked to see that Temari's face was really close to mine. Her lips were inches away from mine. I could see that she was blushing a lot, and I felt my face warm up greatly. I could also feel my heart beating faster. I didn't move, too afraid that I would frighten her and a part of me didn't want to move. She was about to kiss me when I noticed something hanging from her neck; it was a key.

_That key… it looks like…_ My eyes widen and I reacted before I knew what I was doing. I moved my arms from the back of my head and grabbed her arms. Quickly I pushed upward with great force which made me land on top of her. Her eyes grew wide with alarm and her breathing became slightly irregular. I stared down at the key around her neck.

"I… I… I…" She started to say stammering. I grabbed the key from her neck and held it up slightly. She stopped talking when she saw me holding it. I looked into her eyes feeling slightly upset.

"Where did you get this?" I asked angrily. She just stared at me, shocked. I guess there goes my apology… "Well?" I asked again.

"I... You gave it to me… three years ago…" I blinked and just stared at her. My anger was settling down as I tried to remember what she was talking about.

"… I gave… it to you?…"

"Y-yes… it was a parting gift when my brothers and I were leaving Konoha three years ago… Don't you remember?" Small tears were appearing in her eyes. I gasped slightly and let go of the necklace. I was making a girl cry; this was definitely not like me. I closed my eyes trying to remember, and then that's when my head started to throb and a sudden voice came to my mind.

"**Shikamaru…"** My head started to hurt even more. I couldn't stand it; I placed one of my hands to my head holding it.

"Sh… Shikamaru?" Temari was trying to speak to me but I couldn't hear her well. A strange voice kept coming to my head repeating my name over and over again. Then I just collapsed and fell onto Temari. "Shikamaru!" She screamed desperately. "Shikamaru what's wrong! Shikamaru!…" Her voice was starting to fade away. My mind was getting fuzzy… I remember this feeling. This pain was the feeling I got right before I remembered something. The throbbing pain that always made me go unconscious for hours. I heard Temari yell out once more "Someone! Anyone!" before I blanked out.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"_**I guess you guys are leaving now…" Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro turned around to face me.**_

"_**Shikamaru…" Temari looked at me then stared at the ground.**_

"_**We are." Gaara responded to me. I nodded then went up to Temari. She looked up at me and tried to smile. I grabbed her hand, placed a key into it, and then shut it. She blinked and stared down at her hand.**_

"_**Wha...?" I let go of her hand and she opened it up. "What's this for?" She said looking up at me. I placed my hands behind my head.**_

"_**A parting gift I guess you could say. It's so you don't forget I'm still your best friend." She stared at me and I sighed. I was about to turn away when she suddenly hugged me tightly. I blushed slightly and almost fell backwards. She held onto me smiling and blushing as well. I stared down then smiled hugging her back. She let go after few more seconds and looked at me.**_

"_**Thank you Shikamaru."**_

"_**Yeah, yeah." I was greatly embarrassed after that. Then she did something out of the blue. She kissed my cheek. My eyes widen and I felt my face warm up even more. She giggled then turned around and ran off to her brothers waving goodbye. I looked after them then smiled to myself. "Have a safe trip back to Suna." I thought in my mind. I waited till they were gone to head home."**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I slowly opened my eyes, groaning slightly. My head still throbbed, but not as much as before. I looked around to see worried faces.

"Ah, he's awake." I think that was Gaara's voice, not to sure though. I tried to sit up but someone held me down. I looked to see who it was and saw that it was Temari.

"Eh, Temari…" She smiled slightly at me.

"I'm glad you're okay. You just suddenly blanked out on me earlier."

"How… long ago was that…?" I rubbed my head as the last bit of throbbing vanished.

"Um, maybe an hour or so." I sighed closing my eyes. This memory lapse wasn't as bad as my other ones. Those usually lasted up to four hours.

I sat up forcing Temari to stop pushing me down. I held my head slightly looking around at everyone.

"What did you remember this time, Shikamaru?" I looked over at Naruto then to Gaara, Kankuro. My eyes stopped at Temari. She blinked and slightly blushed.

"It was a memory from three years ago. It was the day you three left Konoha." They gasped slightly. I grabbed Temari's necklace and looked at the key. "I remember now… I remember giving this to you Temari. You were right it was a parting gift. A gift so that you three would remember I was till your best friend." She smiled at me happily. Gaara and Kankuro had satisfied looks on their faces. Everyone else was relieved that I was okay.

"How about we take a small break from our training sessions." I looked over at Neji.

"Hmm? What should we do then…" He grinned at me.

"Let's go swimming."

-oO0-o)

I dived down into the water then came up really quickly tripping Naruto. He plunged down under and I got on top of him forcing us both down into the water. He struggled under me then kicked me with such force that I flew out of the water. I landed kind of hard on the shallow end, while he swam over next to me breathing hard. I could hear people laughing in the background. Naruto got up and made a fist at them. I tripped him and he fell backwards down onto the ground. More laughing erupted from everyone. Naruto groaned slightly and glared at me. I grinned at him and got up. I offered him my hand. Bad idea.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down, laughing. I landed face first into the water. I sat up coughing from swallowing some of the water. I turned to lunge at him when I felt Neji grab me from behind.

"Alright you two! Settle down! Man, you guys are such idiots." Naruto and I looked up at Neji and glared at him. I struggled and Neji let me go. Standing up I placed my hand out again to Naruto and he took it for real. I helped him to his feet and sighed sagging my shoulders.

"Hmm? Something wrong, Shikamaru?" I looked at Naruto and shook my head. "Then why do you look so tired?"

"Cause I am tired, you idiot." He made a face and I pushed him into the water. I placed my hand on my left shoulder and rubbed it slightly.

"Hey Shikamaru, this is a perfect time to see how well we are on walking on water." I looked at Neji then nodded agreeing with him. I turned to everyone else seeing if they agreed as well. They nodded and headed over to the water. Well everyone but Gaara. I had a feeling he didn't like water too much. Naruto quickly got up and walked over to the deep end already standing on the water. I turned to him and rolled my eyes.

"Show off." I concentrated my Chakra to my feet then started to walk over to the water's deep end. Me eyes flickered to the water to see a spider. A sudden throbbing occurred in my head making me lose my concentration. It made my fall right into the water. I could hear Naruto laughing as I got out of the water. Temari was next to me looking down at me shaking her head. "What?"

"You seem to have a lack of concentration, Shikamaru." I glared at her then felt my head start to throb even worse.

_Oh no, not another remembrance._ I closed my eyes and held my head, and then I plunged down into the water. As I sank slowly to the bottom I could hear people screaming out my name. Then I heard screaming inside my head.

"**SHIKAMARU!"** I started to choke then I blanked out once again…

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"_**You guys… You guys lack concentration!" Iruka-sensei was yelling at us. And that us would be Kiba, Naruto, Choji, and me. "You can't become excellent ninjas at this rate!"**_

"_**I can't just stay put at a desk. Right, Akamaru?" Kiba responded. Akamaru responded by doing a small groan and yap. My response to what Iruka-sensei said was yawning. **_

"_**I'm hungry…" Was Choji's response.**_

"_**Sensei, please keep your lecture short." Naruto responded to him rudely. Iruka-sensei made an angry face at us.**_

"_**You guys… I'm going to have an after school class to improve your concentration!" We all groaned and said "What?" Then leaves suddenly flew at our foreheads. We blinked and wondered what was going on. Iruka-sensei did a small laugh while turning a leave similar to the ones on our foreheads in his left hand.**_

"_**What's this?" Naruto asked.**_

"_**What you're about to do is what generations of Konoha ninjas have practiced to hone their concentration. This exercise is to concentrate all your energy on the leaf on your head and mold up Chakra. It's an old tradition to concentrate on just the leaf so that your mind doesn't get distracted." Naruto made a small groan while we all kept staring at the leaf. "Only those who've worked hard on their concentration can become excellent ninjas. The Konoha (Leaf) emblem on that head protector comes from that."**_

"_**That sounds fake." Naruto said to all of that.**_

"_**Are you lying to try and motivate us?" I remarked.**_

"_**It's not fake! It's true." Iruka-sensei said angrily throwing up his right fist.**_

"_**Are you able to become an excellent ninja just by working hard on your concentration?" Kiba responded.**_

"_**An excellent ninja is one who's strong." Naruto said.**_

"_**That makes sense." Choji responded to Naruto.**_

"_**This is what I think of this…" We all looked at Naruto and watched as he blew the leave off his head. Iruka-sensei freaked out. "Goodbye, Sensei!" We all ran away and out the window.**_

"_**Hey, wait up, you guys!"**_

"_**Yeah right!"**_

"_**Don't have time to do that!"**_

"_**Hey!"**_

"_**You ungrateful idiots!" Iruka-sensei yelled after us as we fled from the school. We ran into the streets grinning like idiots, but we stopped grinning when we saw Iruka-sensei coming after us. **_

"_**Uh-oh!" Naruto yelled. "We better get out of here!"**_

"_**Then how about we split up and make it harder for him to catch us?" I suggested. They nodded and we split up. I jumped up grabbing a line above me. Then I raced across it and onto the buildings. I could hear Iruka-sensei yelling after us. I jumped into an abandoned building and hid inside its walls. I sat down slightly tired from that run. I looked at then turned around quickly when I heard rustling. I sighed when I saw that it was only a girl.**_

_**She had four blond pigtails on the back of her head. And by the look of her clothing she was from the sand village, Suna. By the size of her she looked to be about two years older than me, meaning she would be about twelve. I turned around to face her completely, slightly alarmed. She giggled slightly and I got a weird look on my face.**_

"_**SHIKAMARU!" I turned when my name was called. "CHOJI! NARUTO! KIBA!" I shook my head turning back to the girl.**_

"_**You running?" **_

"_**Huh?"**_

"_**Are you running from someone?"**_

"_**Uh, yeah I guess you could say that."**_

"_**Why?" Her questions were starting to irritate me.**_

"_**Cause I don't feel like doing what I'm told."**_

"_**And what's that?"**_

"_**Do some concentration thing." She giggled and I made a face at her.**_

"_**What's so funny?"**_

"_**Nothing."**_

"_**Che, well whatever. It's just such a drag to do that."**_

"_**Oh? And running away isn't?"**_

"_**Running away is easier… And why am I telling you this? Che, this is such a drag…" I stared out the broken window and up at the clouds. I looked for some kind of shape and sat there wishing I were a cloud.**_

"_**Shikamaru." I turned around and faced the girl at the sound of my name. My eyes widen slightly.**_

"_**How did you…"**_

"_**When you turned your head when your name was called out, I figured that was your name." I blinked at her then grinned slightly. She was pretty smart… for a girl. I heard tumbling around wondering whether Iruka-sensei found me or not. I closed my eyes and placed my hands into a circle in front of me, my thinking pose. After a minute or two I opened my eyes and got up. I turned to leave, but stopped when I heard the girl speak.**_

"_**Temari." I looked at her and blinked. Then smiled.**_

"_**Temari, eh. Nice name. Well it's nice to meet you." I waved to her then jumped out the window. "I guess I'll see you later. I've got to go!" And with that I ran off away from the abandoned building.**_


	5. A New Enemy

I'm sorry for how Gaara talks in the non-dialogue with saying the characters full names.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara**_

I watched my sister played in the water while leaning against a tree. She seemed to be enjoying herself; that was good. It's good that Neji Hyuuga suggested going swimming it gives Temari something to do and to help relax her mind. I glanced toward Shikamaru and Naruto Uzumaki. They were playfully attacking each other. I rolled my eyes then shut them.

_They're so carefree…_ I thought shaking my head slightly. _But I guess being carefree is good._ I opened my eyes just in time to see Neji Hyuuga grab a hold of Shikamaru from behind.

"Alright you two! Settle down! Man, you guys are such idiots." Neji Hyuuga told them. Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru both glared at him. Shikamaru struggled out of Neji Hyuuga's grip then he grabbed Naruto Uzumaki's hand and helped him to his feet. Shikamaru sagged his shoulders looking tired.

"Hmm? Something wrong Shikamaru?" Naruto Uzumaki asked looking at him; Shikamaru shook his head. "Then why do you look so tired?"

"Cause I am tired, you idiot." Shikamaru pushed Naruto Uzumaki back into the water then rubbed his left shoulder.

"Hey Shikamaru, this is a perfect time to see how well we are on walking on water." Neji Hyuuga suggested. Shikamaru nodded and looked at everyone else to see if they wanted to join in. They nodded their heads and started to concentrate. I stayed where I was. I'm not too fond of the water.

Naruto was the first to do the trick. Shikamaru called him a show off then went over to the water. Unfortunately, Shikamaru fell right in. Temari came up next to him shaking her head.

"What?" He asked.

"You seem to have a lack of concentration, Shikamaru." I sighed and shook my head then Shikamaru suddenly plunged down into the water. I blinked watching him, but got worried quickly.

"Shikamaru! SHIKAMARU!" Everyone was yelling out his name and getting worried. I was about to come over when my eyes widened. I felt a strange flow of Chakra coming from under the water. I saw Temari about to dive in.

"Wait!" She stopped and I quickly ran over to her. She looked at me with worried eyes. I placed down my gourd and dived in after Shikamaru. I could hear surprised gasps from Temari and Kankuro then I heard them yell out my name. I tried to concentrate and locate Shikamaru. I scanned the water quickly and when I found him sinking slowly I swam after him, but I stopped when I saw a strange creature next to him. My eyes widened when I figured out what that creature was, a spider and a big one at that. I quickly tried to swim toward Shikamaru, but the spider came flying at me catching me off guard. The spider hit me in the gut pushing me up slightly then it swam back down to Shikamaru.

_What the? Is that thing protecting him?_ I pulled out the kunai that I had been using for training sessions and held it in front of myself. I swam toward Shikamaru again and the spider flew at me again, but this time I was prepared for it. I swung my kunai at it making it dodge and move away, which gave me the time I needed to get to Shikamaru. I grabbed Shikamaru by an arm and quickly swam toward the surface. I looked to Shikamaru to see that he was unconscious. The spider creature came flying toward us and once again I swat it off with my kunai.

I finally broke through the surface and looked around breathing in air. "Kankuro! I want you to aim at the air above me with your strings." He blinked at me but got ready to do so. I waited for a second then yelled out now. He shot out his strings above me just as the spider came flying out of the water. Kankuro's strings caught the spider and it started to get tangled up. "Keep that thing in those strings!" I looked toward Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki who came over and took Shikamaru from me. I got out of the water with Temari's help. I breathed in slowly and out then I stood up and closed my eyes. I concentrated and made the sand come up in front of me. I swirled the sand around until it became a container like shape. Kankuro looked at me then nodded knowing what I was going to do.

I turned toward the squirming creature and held out the container. Quickly Kankuro swung his strings up and threw the spider into the container. Kankuro released his strings from the spider, and I placed a sand lid onto it quickly just as the spider decided to come out. I breathed out a sigh of relief and sat down with the spider. Everyone came around me to look at the container though it was impossible to see the spider now.

"W-what was that thing!" Naruto Uzumaki yelled out slightly.

"A spider at the looks of it." Neji Hyuuga responded. "A pretty big one at that." Temari quickly ran over to Shikamaru and looked at him worriedly. I got up holding the container and looked at Hinata Hyuuga.

"Hinata Hyuuga. Hurry to Konoha and tell the Hokage-sama that we have a patient." She nodded and ran off quickly. I looked at everyone else. "Let's get our things and hurry back." Everyone nodded and quickly got their stuff. I picked up Shikamaru's things and waited to see if everyone was ready. Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki shifted slightly so they could carry Shikamaru better then they nodded to me, and with that we were off. Quickly as we could we ran toward the village. I held the container close to me so not to lose it. The spider inside kept trying to break through the sand. If we don't hurry I'm sure it will. I glanced toward the container then focused ahead.

_What kind of creature is this? And why… why did it seem like it was protecting Shikamaru?_ Questions swirled through my mind as we ran.

-oO0-o)

"Hmm…"

"Well? How is he?"

"Settle down." Tsunade-sama, the Hokage, was leaned over Shikamaru examining him. Sakura Haruno was next to her holding something in her hand. Tsunade-sama looked at Sakura Haruno who handed her the object. Tsunade-sama opened the object, which seemed to be a bottle of some sort, and placed it to Shikamaru's mouth. Then she gently forced Shikamaru to drink it. I stared over at them wondering what they were doing. Then Shikamaru suddenly coughed greatly spewing out water, and Tsunade-sama was holding his body up making sure he didn't swallow it back up. She then placed him back down when he was done.

"Can you leave please?" We all nodded and started to leave. Kankuro grabbed Temari on the way out since she seemed reluctant to leave. Outside of the room sitting on the bench were Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, and Sasuke Uchiha. We had run past them when entering the village. They had followed after us curious and worried. I leaned against the wall, while everyone else sat down. Kankuro held Temari slightly trying to comfort her. Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga sat next to each other with Neji Hyuuga sitting across from them on the other bench where Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi were. Sasuke Uchiha was leaning against the opposite wall of me; he was staring at the container I held in my arm.

"What's in that, Gaara?" He gestured toward the container. I looked down at it then at him.

"A spider." I heard several gasps and looked around to see people staring toward me.

"A spider? Why have a container that big." Sasuke Uchiha didn't seem impressed that we caught a spider.

"It's as big as your head Sasuke Uchiha." He raised an eyebrow and stared at me like he didn't believe me. I turned to my left to see Tsunade-sama come out. Almost everyone stood up and stared at her. They had all the same question on their mind.

"How is he?" I asked out knowing everyone didn't want to ask that. She stared at me then sighed.

"Well he's okay, but right now he's in "that" state." I heard Ino Yamanaka sigh and sit down with Choji Akimichi. I raised an eyebrow.

"That?" Tsunade-sama looked at Temari.

"He's dreaming or remembering." Temari blinked then stared at the ground.

"So he's remembering, is he? Is he always out for hours when this happens?" Tsunade-sama looked toward Kankuro and nodded.

"Yes, and sometimes he's out for many, many hours. But that all depends on how deep the remembrance is. And another side effect of this, he goes into a coma-like state." I heard Temari gasp and stare at Tsunade-sama. Tsunade-sama could probably tell how much Temari was worried about Shikamaru. "But don't worry about it, he comes out of the coma-like state once his remembrance is complete." Temari sighed relieved and sat down on the bench. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait, Hokage-sama." Tsunade-sama looked at me.

"Yes, Gaara?" I held up the container and her eyes widened slightly. "What's in there?"

"A spider." Her eyes grew wider. She stared at the container for about another minute then went into the room, about a second or so later she came back out.

"Open it." I shook my head.

"It's still alive." She thought for a second then started to walk down the hall.

"Sasuke, Neji, Gaara. Come with me, the rest of you stay here." Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga got up and followed Tsunade-sama. I followed behind them quietly glancing at Kankuro and Temari as I past them. They nodded to me and watched me go. "Shizune!" Tsunade-sama stopped and waited. After a minute a woman with short black hair came into view with a pig in her hand.

"Yes Lady Tsunade?"

"Can you watch over Sakura and help her with Shikamaru?" Shizune-san nodded and ran past us and down the hall. Tsunade-sama started to walk again and we quickly followed after her. She turned down a hall and entered a room. I stopped by the doorway when I arrived there and looked inside. In the room there seemed to be nothing but a strange cage in the middle of the room set on a table. I blinked and entered walking over to the cage. Tsunade-sama looked at me and opened up a small part of the lid. She nodded to me and I placed the container upside down. I took the sand off and the spider fell out of the container and into the cage below. Tsunade-sama quickly closed the lid when I took the container away. I stepped back and glanced at Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga.

Their eyes were wide and staring at the spider. The spider was racing about trying to get out of the cage. Tsunade-sama was examining it not afraid to get close to the cage even when it struck at the side where she was. Sasuke Uchiha got closer to examine it for himself.

"_Byakugan!"_ I looked toward Neji Hyuuga as he used his kekkei genkai. His eyes widened as he stared at the spider. "Amazing…" Tsunade-sama looked over at him. "This spider creature has enormous amount of Chakra."

"Heh, thought so." We all looked toward Tsunade-sama. She grinned and placed her hands behind her head. "This isn't a regular spider, it's not from Konoha. It's a type of spider that comes from the swamps."

"The swamps? Where the hell are those?" Sasuke Uchiha asked looking back toward the spider.

"It's not located near any place really. You have to pass through the Country of Wind in order to reach the swamps. It's in a deep layer of thick forest and marshes. It's quite hard to get through and even harder to get out of."

"Then how did a spider like this get here?"

"Well… most likely we have a Shinobi from the swamps in Konoha."

"I found it in the water… protecting Shikamaru." Tsunade-sama's eyes widen and she turned and stared at me.

"Protecting… Shikamaru?" I nodded. Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha seemed just as surprised as Tsunade-sama. Tsunade-sama looked toward the ground then looked at the spider. She was clenching her fist slightly. "Kumo Konjou." She whispered to herself. I raised an eyebrow and wondered what she meant.

_Kumo Konjou? Spider Spirit?_ "Hokage-sama, what do you mean 'Kumo Konjou'?" She gasped and looked at me then shook her head. Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga also seemed interested as well. She looked at them, to me, to the spider, and then to me again. She sighed and hung her head.

"Kumo Konjou. It's a spirited creature quite like the nine-tailed demon fox, and," She looked at me, " the one-tailed Shukaku." My eyes widened slightly. "It lives within the marsh lands, Kumo Konjou. Its spirit is embedded into a spider statute. It waits for the day for a host." She sighed greatly and looked at all of us. "You three, I want you three do to something." We nodded and waited for her.

She walked around the room and stood in front of us. "Protect Shikamaru Nara." We blinked at her.

"From what, Lady Tsunade?" Neji Hyuuga asked.

"From Kumo Konjou." We blinked again.

"How do you mean? If it's a spirit within the marsh lands, then there's no worry." Sasuke Uchiha stated. She glared slightly at Sasuke Uchiha whom stopped talking and stood up straight.

"If this spider, as you have stated Gaara, is protecting Shikamaru then we have a problem. Kumo Konjou is very dangerous; it can talk to people from long distances away. It talks to them through their mind and can convince them to do things that they do not wish to do."

"Why would it want Shikamaru?" I asked her. She glanced toward me.

"For Kumo Konjou is…"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"I hope he's alright." I had my hands holding my head while Kankuro comforted me.

"I'm sure he's okay, Temari." I looked at him and nodded.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay for sure." I glanced at Ino and she smiled at me. I nodded to her then glanced around.

_Gaara, Sasuke, and Neji have been gone for awhile, I wonder what Hokage-sama wanted to talk to them about?_ I clenched my fists tightly. _And why didn't we get to go with them? Is that spider too dangerous for all of us? Or are we not "important" people?_ I bit my lip slightly to control my anger. This wasn't the time to break something, especially not here. I looked toward the door that led to Shikamaru's room and got sad. Kankuro placed on arm over my shoulder and I looked at him and sighed.

About five minutes later Gaara, Neji, and Sasuke came back though Tsunade-sama wasn't with them. Gaara nodded to me and Kankuro then leaned against the wall, while Neji sat down next to Hinata and Naruto, and Sasuke went into Shikamaru's room. I stared after Sasuke wonder why he got to go in.

"He needs to tell Sakura Haruno something." I looked up at Gaara whom seemed to have read my thoughts. I slightly nodded to Gaara then turned toward the floor. The entire room seemed to be a funeral home. It was silent and no one was moving around. It was getting on my nerves; I wasn't one for silent times.

"… … I wonder what he's remembering this time." All of us looked over at Ino who had broken the silence.

"Well, what's the last thing that was mentioned or he saw?" Choji asked us. I sat up straight and looked toward Choji and Ino.

"Well… we were talking about concentration and swimming." Ino and Choji looked at each other then started to think.

"I might have an idea." Choji spoke up. "He's probably remembering the time Iruka-sensei yelled at us for having a lack of concentration…" He looked over at Naruto. "Remember that Naruto?" Naruto looked up and nodded.

"Yeah! Iruka-sensei was really mad at us because we couldn't concentrate enough." He smiled slightly. "Then he tried to teach us how to concentrate with that stupid leaf." Choji and Naruto laughed.

"We got out of there after you blew the leaf off your forehead." Choji smiled and Naruto grinned.

"…That's probably when he met me." Everyone blinked and looked toward me. I looked at them then the ground. "It was when I was twelve, meaning you guys would have been ten. He had come running into my hiding place most likely running away from Iruka-sensei. I had asked him why he was running and he had mentioned something about 'doing a concentration thing'." I smiled to myself remembering that. Then I sighed and stared at the ground.

Suddenly an agony scream came from Shikamaru's room. Worried I jumped up and ran into the room with everyone following me. When we entered the room we saw Shizune and Sakura holding down Shikamaru. My eyes widened as I watched them.

"What's going on?" Ino asked. Sasuke looked at her.

"I think he's having a painful memory… not sure really." We all stared down at Shikamaru who was breathing irregularly. I placed a hand to my mouth and turned away.

_Why is this happening?_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"**Shikamaru!"** My eyes flew open. I was breathing hard and I felt exhausted. I slowly looked up to see where I was. My eyes widened slightly.

_What is this place?_ I thought to myself. _It looks like a marsh of some sort…_ My eyes scanned the area. Purple/green marshes were across the entire place. Trees with moss and vine like structures, and snakes and spiders crawling all over the place. I had never seen such a place in my entire life before. It was confusing me. How in the world did I end up in a place like this? _What is going on here?_

I carefully took a better look at my surroundings. There wasn't much to see but the trees and the marshes. Suddenly a giant spider came down in my face. My eyes widen greatly. I tried to move away but my body wouldn't turn around, nor would my arms or hands. I felt like something was controlling my body as if I had been caught in my own jutsu, Shadow Possession.

The spider in front of me blinked at me with its several eyes. Then it opened its mouth showing its venomous fangs. It landed on the ground and moved toward me. I tried to move again but it just didn't work. It got closer to me then with quick movement that I could barely see it bit into my left shoulder. I screamed out in pain and fell to the ground with the spider still on my shoulder.

_W-what the… this pain… it… it's real. This isn't a dream. IT'S REAL!_ The spider let go of my shoulder and backed off. My hand slowly grabbed my shoulder and clenched it tightly. I stared at the spider and I swear it was grinning evilly. I started to feel faint and I fell onto my side.

"**Hehe, Shikamaru I'm so glad you accepted my gift…"** That voice, it was so familiar. I kept hearing that voice every time I blanked out. My eyes shut on me and I started to drift off.

"W… What's going on…"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I turned around quickly.

"W… What's going on…" Shikamaru groaned then stopped moving completely. Shizune placed her head upon his chest and closed her eyes. We were all silent and afraid. She lifted her head up and sighed in relief.

"Looks like whatever happened is-"

"Shizune-san! Look!" Sakura pointed to his left shoulder that seemed to be bleeding. Shizune's eyes widened and she quickly took off Shikamaru's shirt and examined his shoulder. Tsunade-sama came into the room and blinked at all of us. She sighed slightly shaking her head then her eyes widened when she saw what Shizune was doing. She ran over to Shizune's side and looked down then she turned toward us.

"Out! All of you!" We quickly left the room not wanting to make Tsunade upset. I bit my lip wondering what that was all about.

_His shoulder just started bleeding… but why? Did he happen to injure it when Naruto and Neji were carrying him?_ I looked over at them and they shook their hands knowing what I had wanted to know. I sat down on the bench and placed my hands on my head. Gaara and Kankuro sat next to me trying to comfort me. I looked at them and slightly smiled, but I sighed greatly and turned away from them. I bit my lip again so I wouldn't cry.

What is going on?


	6. Spider Escapades

I'm sorry for switching between a lot of people. I do try to stick with Temari and Shikamaru... mostly.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"Alright you guys are free to go do whatever you want, just don't destroy the building and I'm talking to you Naruto!"

"What? I don't destroy things! Well… okay I might, but I do fix them!"

"… … … … Just, go." A boring lesson had just ended and now we were allowed to go do whatever. I sighed and stood up looking around at the others. A lot of them were talking and getting their lunches out. Class had ended earlier today for some reason. I was guessing Asuma-sensei had to do something since he wasn't in the room anymore.

"Hey Temari!" I turned around and frowned at Kankuro crossing my arms.

"What?" I asked staring blankly at him.

"Eh, just wondering how you're doing and all, cause you look pretty down right now." I blinked then sighed and shook my head.

"Whatever, I'm not down."

"You're worried about him." I turned my head and looked down Gaara. He was staring up at me from his seat. I bit my lip and turned my head away not wanting to answer or think about it. I heard him get up then I felt his hand on my shoulder. "He'll be fine." I nodded slightly knowing that he was right.

"Hey Sakura! Want to join me for lunch?" I looked over toward the door. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru's teammate and friend. I stared after her as she and Sakura walked off.

_Maybe I could…_ I grabbed my things and went after them knowing Kankuro and Gaara were going to follow me anyway.

"Hey wait!" I yelled after them when they were in my sight. They stopped and blinked at me then Sakura waved.

"Hi Temari!" I walked up to them and stopped, Gaara and Kankuro came up behind me.

"Why'd you run off like that, Temari?" Kankuro asked.

"Because I wanted to ask Ino something." Ino blinked then cocked her head at me.

"Ask me something? What did you want to ask me?" I looked around then back at her.

"How about we find a place to eat." Ino nodded and started to walk again with Sakura. My brothers and I followed behind them.

-oO0-o)

We were all sitting on the ledge of some house in Konoha. I stared out over the village thinking about how I would ask this. Ino watched me curiously probably wondering what I was going to ask. Sakura watched both of us while quietly eating her rice ball. I breathed in then out, and then turned toward Ino.

"I… I want to ask you about… Shikamaru." She stared at me for a second then looked down at her legs.

"You want to know how he lost his memory."

"… Yes." Ino sighed then turned toward me.

"He lost it about a year or so ago, so it happened after you guys left. It occurred during a training session with Choji and me. We were a bit away from the village to train since Choji had his new technique to try out… …"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

(The Underline and Italic words mean that someone is telling a story in real time.)

"_Heh, be ready for this one Shikamaru." I laughed slightly as I watched Choji getting prepared to attack Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked as bored as ever and as reluctant as ever to do this. He shook his head._

"_Why are we still doing this Sensei? It's too much of a drag." Asuma-sensei shook his head slowly at Shikamaru._

"_Because Shikamaru you guys need training, you're still Genin after all. Well you're a Chunin now but that doesn't mean you need to stop training."_

"_Yeah, yeah I get it."_

"_Then stop complaining and let's get this over with." I looked over at Choji whom was already in his Human Boulder Jutsu, which he charged at Shikamaru. Shikamaru's eyes widen to the fact that he wasn't prepared yet so he jumped to the side into the bushes. I giggled slightly and shook my head._

"_Idiot…" Choji turned around quickly and headed toward where Shikamaru had jumped. I jumped into a tree to see if I could see Shikamaru myself. He wasn't… No there he was, hiding in a tree and… I sighed. He was staring at the clouds. I quickly jumped over to where he was._

"_Shikamaru, what are you doing?" I whispered. He looked at me._

"_What does it look like I'm doing?"_

"_Hiding."_

"…" _He sighed positioned himself to jump down. I sat next to him to do the same, but suddenly a small earthquake shook the ground forcing me to grab onto the tree branch. Shikamaru, who had been close to the edge, fell off the tree and landed on the ground with a thump. I looked down at Shikamaru as the ground shook a bit more. Then my eyes widened as the ground below him opened up suddenly and he fell in. _

"_SHIKAMARU!" I yelled out loudly. I jumped down and held onto the tree as I looked down the hole. The ground eventually stopped shaking, which gave me a better chance of looking down there. I carefully looked down the hole to see if I could see Shikamaru. Nothing, it was too dark and too deep. I looked around starting to get scared. "Ooooh… ASUMA-SENSEI! CHOJI!" I screamed out. _

_A couple of seconds later they came running over, but stopped immediately when they saw the hole in the ground. Asuma-sensei stared in amazement while Choji came over to me._

"_What happened?" I looked at Choji as I stepped away from the hole._

"_I… I'm not sure really. A small earthquake happened while Shikamaru and I were in the tree. Then he fell out and a huge hole just came out of nowhere…" Choji stared at me then looked at the hole. _

"_Choji, Ino." We both looked over at Asuma-sensei. "There isn't enough time to go back to Konoha, so that means we're going down after Shikamaru." We both gasped._

"_But how?" I asked._

"_Look here, there is a stairway kind of structure here… We can take that." Asuma-sensei started to walk down it. I blinked at him; I never saw that when I looked down. I looked at Choji who nodded to me then we followed after Asuma-sensei carefully._

Ino stopped and bit her lip. She looked as if she didn't want to continue.

"Something wrong Ino?"

"Well… um… sorry… it's just hard for me…" Sakura placed a hand on Ino's back.

"If you don't want to continue Ino you don't have to…" Ino shook her head.

"No, but I think I'll just summarize what happened." She took in a deep breath then looked at me. "After awhile the place got really dark because of how far underground we were. At the point we thought Shikamaru was dead, but that thought faded away when we saw…" I raised an eyebrow at her. "When we saw… webs everywhere."

"Webs?" I looked up to see that Gaara had taken interest for some reason. Ino looked up at him as well and nodded.

"Yes, spider webs. They were everywhere down there; it was really odd and scary. We didn't see any spiders but we saw a bunch of creepy things… And… we heard… chanting."

"Chanting? What kind of chanting? Like in a chanting for a jutsu?" Kankuro asked her. She shook her head.

"No it was more like just chanting for some kind of ritual or something. It was really creepy sounding. You couldn't make out the words very well, but there were two words that seem to be repeated… Those two words were _Kumo Konjou._" Gaara gasped loudly and his eyes widened. I looked at him strangely then glanced at Ino.

"Kumo Konjou? Spider Spirit?" I asked, she nodded to me

"I… I didn't understand it, but Asuma-sensei did, though…" Ino stopped and glanced down. It looked like she was having a hard time explaining this. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as if to be thinking. We remained silent and waited patiently for her to talk again. She lifted her head after a couple of seconds and looked at us. "He… he didn't tell us what that was though."

"Oh I see…" I looked down disappointed slightly.

"So what happened after that, Ino?" Sakura asked gently. Ino looked at her then took another deep breath.

"We went down a little further and saw Shikamaru caught on a web. Carefully we took him off there and quickly got out of there. After that we took him to the hospital and that's when we found out he had amnesia. It was very devastating for all of us, and it became a hard year for him after that. He had to remember people by just being around them, and he's still trying to remember people. You guys saw how he remembers people. He holds his head then blanks out for a couple of hours… " Ino stopped talking and looked down. We all became silent and stared blankly at each other. After a bit I got up and stretched. Ino looked at me and watched.

"Why don't we try to help him out some more then, eh? I know that you guys have been around him a lot, but he still needs to regain his memory right? And today he after that accident with that spider I think he needs some cheering up." She stared at me curiously then smiled slightly and stood up. She helped Sakura up and nodded to me.

"Not sure if they'll let us see him after how Lady Tsunade reacted, but it's worth a try." I smiled at her then turned to my brothers and nodded. Kankuro nodded back and grinned slightly, Gaara on the other hand seemed to be deep in thought though. The expression on his face was blank and serious. I looked at him worried then placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and blinked.

"Come on." I said. "Let's go visit Shikamaru." He stared at me for a sec then nodded and started to walk. We jumped off the roof and headed toward the hospital.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara**_

"… … Fine, you guys can see him, but leave if he doesn't want people or if he's sleeping." We nodded then opened the door and headed in. I went over to the wall as my sister and Ino Yamanaka went over to see Shikamaru. Ino Yamanaka poked him slightly and shook her head as Shikamaru turned away from her.

"Come on Shikamaru! We've come to see you!" Shikamaru grumbled something and kept his back to us. Ino Yamanaka frowned and went to the other side of the bed. He turned around to put his back to Ino Yamanaka, but stopped when he saw Temari on the other side of the bed. He looked between the two girls then pulled the blanket over his head. Ino Yamanaka giggled slightly and shook her head again. "You just don't want to see us do you?"

"No, I want to sleep." Ino Yamanaka laughed again and sighed.

"Fine, how about I leave and you talk to Temari."

"Wait, what?" Ino Yamanaka pulled Shikamaru's covers off and turned him to face Temari. "HEY! Gah! Jeez Ino…" He sighed and waved slightly to Temari. Temari laughed slightly at him and waved back. Ino Yamanaka smiled then walked off and out the door. I waited a second then followed out after her. She was walking down an empty hallway; that made this easier.

"Ino Yamanaka, wait." She stopped and looked at me then waited for me to catch up to her.

"Uh, yes Gaara?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Um… ask away then."

"When you talked about the chanting earlier, you know how you mentioned the words Kumo Konjou?" Her eyes widened and she bit her lip slightly.

"Um… Y-yeah… W-what about it?"

"You lied to us about knowing what that was." Her eyes widened more and she turned away from me.

"W-what makes you say that…"

"Ino Yamanaka, tell me what Asuma-sensei told you. I know of Kumo Konjou." She gasped and faced me quickly.

"Y-you know about him?" I nodded to her. She looked down then back up at me sighing.

"He told us that it was a spider spirit of ancient times. Though he seemed to curse at it and quickened his pace to find Shikamaru when he heard the name. He said that if we didn't hurry swarms of spiders would come in… Kumo Konjou, as Asuma-sensei told Choji and me, is a spirit that needs a host body in order to live. And well… he said it could be after… Shikamaru…Though he didn't really explain why, but I'm sure it's not because Kumo Konjou needed a host body…" Ino Yamanaka stared at the ground, sadly. I stared at her blankly then turned around.

"Ino Yamanaka, don't tell Temari or anyone else about this." I heard her gasp slightly then walk over to face me.

"But why not?"

"The Fifth Hokage wants it to be a secret. She doesn't want Shikamaru to know about this." Ino stared for a second then nodded to me.

"Okay… I'll go tell Choji to do the same then." She bowed to me slightly then ran off. I stared after her for a second then looked toward the door where Shikamaru was. I could hear a bit of yelling, which sounded like Temari's voice. I sighed and shook my head walking back over to where they were.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

"How you feeling Shikamaru?" Shizune-sama asked gently as she examined my left shoulder.

"I'm doing better I guess. Ow." I looked at her as she touched my shoulder.

"Hmm, it seems to finally have stopped bleeding, but what I'm worried about is this marking…" I raised an eyebrow and tried to look to see what she meant. My eyes widened when I saw it. It had a very strange shape it kind of looked like a bug. It had a pincer like structure for a mouth then two back structures that had curved ends. It was a teal-ish color, which was kind of the color of the marshes in my dream.

I looked away and down at the bed. My dreams, they were getting more confusing each time. And that girl, she keeps dying on me. I sighed greatly and winced as Shizune-sama placed a bandaged over the marking on my shoulder.

"All done. Just be careful not to hit this shoulder okay?"

"Yeah, I won't. It still hurts slightly." I looked up as Tsunade-sama came into the room.

"So how's he doing?" Tsunade-sama asked Shizune-sama.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." She looked over at me and smiled.

"That's good to hear… Hmm?" She turned around. "Yes Temari?"

"Ah, well I came to see Shikamaru." Temari came into the room and stood behind Tsunade-sama. "If that's alright with you, Hokage-sama." Tsunade-sama nodded and moved aside to let her pass. She came over to me and sat in a chair next to Shizune-sama.

"Well let's leave them be for a bit, Shizune." Shizune-sama looked at Tsunade-same then smiled and got up. They both left the room leaving Temari and me alone.

I glanced at Temari then looked out the window slightly embarrassed. It was kind of an awkward moment. We both were silent and I bet she was embarrassed as well.

"So um, how's your shoulder doing?" Temari asked suddenly breaking the silence. I turned to her then glanced at my shoulder.

"It's fine, throbs a little though."

"Oh, that's good." She smiled slightly then looked at her knees. I turned back around and looked out the window again making the awkward moment continue. I heard her shift slightly then get up. She headed over to the window and looked out.

"Nice day." I nodded slightly and looked at her. She turned to me and smiled slightly then started laughing. I stared at her then started laughing myself. We both laughed for about a minute then she came over and sat on my bed.

"Heh, that was a bit strange." I said shaking my head.

"Yeah, but at least it broke that awkward moment."

"Yeah…"

"So how are you doing mentally?"

"Mentally? That's an odd question. I'm doing fine really…" She smiled at me then took out her necklace. My eyes widened slightly when seeing that it was the same one with the key on it. She grabbed my hand and placed it into mine. I looked at her confused.

"I had a feeling you might want to see it." I blinked at her then nodded. I brought the necklace up to my face and stared at it then I looked at her.

"This key, it's part of a two set. I have the other one at my house." I grabbed her hand and placed the necklace into it. "Reminds me that my dad was furious when he found out I didn't have the other key. He had asked me where it went and I had told him I didn't know. Well, I know now thanks to that remembrance I had a bit ago." I stretched slightly and looked at Temari, she was smiling.

"So why did your dad get so mad?"

"Well, he said that it was really important. I was supposed to give the key, the one you have, to well…" I blushed slightly and didn't face her. "To the one I'm supposed to marry." She gasped slightly and I glanced at her to see her blushing.

"OH, well that's… uh…" I sighed and held up my hands.

"Hey, I didn't know that till recently. I probably didn't even know that when I gave it to you so no need to freak out." She glared at me and I moved back slightly.

"I was not freaking out…"

"Okay, okay. Sorry." She kept glaring then laughed slightly. I sighed and hung my head, then turned it to the door when I heard someone come in. Gaara and Kankuro came in but then stopped and stared at us.

"Uh, are we interrupting something?" Kankuro asked looking between me and Temari. Temari and I both blinked and looked at each other then we turned away.

"No, nothing at all." Kankuro laughed slightly and shrugged he came over and sat in a chair. Gaara stared blankly at us and leaned against the wall. I glanced at Gaara then looked toward Kankuro.

"So… what are you guys doing here?" Temari asked them.

"Just visiting, like you." Kankuro answered her.

"Oh really…"

"Yes really."

"Shut up."

"No."

"Both of you shut up, you're annoying me." Gaara said angrily. They both winced and laughed slightly.

"Sorry Gaara." They both apologized to him, and by this time I wanted to be out of the room. I don't like mixing in sibling fights.

"Well… um I think I'm going to go to sleep, so maybe you guys should… leave?" They all turned to me and stared blankly. I sweat dropped and wished I had kept my mouth shut.

"Oh good, you're all in here." We all turned toward the door to see Tsunade-sama standing there. "I've got a mission for you."

"Eh?" I raised an eyebrow staring at her strangely. She came over and stood between all of us.

"A mission?" Kankuro asked curiously.

"Yup, it's one that's in Konoha. I want you guys to go clean the Konoha library." We all stared at her blankly then Temari stood up twitching slightly.

"You want us to do WHAT?" I winced and glanced over at Tsunade-sama who was smiling.

"To clean the Konoha library. It'll do you guys some good, and since Shikamaru is still recovering he can't really do any big missions, now can he? And your training about Taijutsu has ended." She looked over at me. "Get ready Shikamaru then I want you four to meet me out at the front." She turned around and walked out. I stared blankly at where she last was. A huge sigh came from Kankuro. He stood up shaking his head.

"I guess we have to follow the Hokage-sama's orders." Temari clenched her fist but nodded. Gaara walked out of the room without saying a word. I sighed and looked around for my shirt. Temari and Kankuro walked out of the room to give me some privacy.

-oO0-o)

"This is it!" I looked into the room and coughed slightly. It was really dusty in there and seemed a little bit filthy.

"You want us to clean that?" Temari asked slightly upset.

"Yes, and I want you to do it carefully. I'll come around in the evening to see how you four are progressing." And with that Tsunade-sama turned around and walked off. I sighed then entered the room looking around.

"This is such a drag." Gaara went over to a door and opened it up, dust flew out of it and I jumped back coughing. He pulled out a couple of brooms and dustpans, and then he turned to Kankuro and me and gave us them.

"Great, we get to clean the floor." Kankuro sighed and walked to the back of the library. I stared at the broom then followed Kankuro.

"Why us?" I asked out loud. Kankuro shrugged.

"Who knows, but we have to do it don't we?" He started to sweep the floor bringing up dust. I coughed slightly then sighed and stared to do the same.

-oO0-o)

Around six or so we had started cleaning the books up. There was a huge pile in the corner that we labeled as "books to clean". Those books we had taken off the shelves or most of the shelves. We wanted to take them off before actually cleaning them.

I had a handful of books in my hands when suddenly I heard a scream. I looked up just in time to see Temari fall off the bookshelf and land right on top of me. Books flew everywhere and so did dust. A book fell on my head creating even more dust. I started coughing and opened my eyes. Temari had landed awkwardly on me. She was sitting up straight, sort of, with her legs over my chest. I pushed myself up with my arms and stared at her slightly. She looked slightly confused and surprised. I sighed and shook my head.

"Are you alright Temari?" I looked up to see Gaara poking his head through the shelves. I glared at him slightly for no apparent reason the shifted my gaze to Temari.

"Uh, I think so…" She smiled. "I had a soft landing so I'm okay."

"A soft landing… I'm a soft landing." She looked at me and slightly blushed.

"Uuh… oops?" I sighed and hung my head.

"Why weren't you using a ladder?"

"Cause using the shelves as a ladder is faster." I stared blankly at her. She blushed a bit more. "What?"

"Get off of me." She glared slightly then jumped up to grab Gaara's hand. She stood up straight and brushed herself off. Then she placed her hand in front of me to help me up. I made up face but grabbed her hand. The book that was on my head fell off creating more dust. I sneezed and shook my head. There was a huge mess of books on the floor. "Sigh, be better clean this mess up…" She nodded and bent down starting to pick up the books, I did the same.

About ten minutes later we decided to start cleaning the books since we had made a huge pile. It was a messy shop and we had a coughing fit cause of all the dust. After a bit of cleaning I decided to grab a couple of more books.

I walked to the very back of the library. We hadn't started this place yet because it seemed to be the place with the most dust. I grabbed some of the books and was about to turn back when a strange decorative book caught my eye.

It had gold lacing about it and a green tint for its cover. I placed the books that were in my hand down and pulled this one out. I wiped off the dust and looked at it. It was a soft cover book and it seemed to be kind of like a journal. The title read:

_Myths of Kumo Konjou._

I blinked at the name. _Kumo Konjou? Eh?_ I opened the book up curious to what was written in it. I walked back slowly to the others staring down at the book.

"What do you have there, Shikamaru?" Kankuro asked me as I sat down next to him.

"A book called _Myths of Kumo Konjou._ I stopped reading when I heard everyone gasp. I looked up at them. "Uh? Did I say something?" Gaara came up to me and bent down.

"May I?" I blinked and handed the book to him. He opened it up and started to read.

"Hey Gaara, read it out loud." Gaara nodded to Kankuro.

"Three years ago a spirit called Kumo Konjou invaded the swamp lands west of Suna. It was a giant spider like creature with 16 legs. Many Shinobi were killed in the process of trying to kill this spider, but eventually its spirit was sealed away in a statue in the Temple of the Wicked. The temple laid deep within the swamps and was very hard to reach.

"After the defeat of Kumo Konjou all records of the event were burned and destroyed out of fear. The reason for such fear? This spirit…" Gaara suddenly stopped reading and we blinked at him. He gave the book to me and pointed to where he left off. "Read from there, Shikamaru." I gave him an odd look but shrugged and started to read it out loud.

"… This spirit had a great power that was thought to only reside from the Nara… Family…" I stopped for a second taking that in then read on. "The power of which it held? Shadow Possession." My eyes widened and I dropped the book.

_Shadow Possession? The SAME one as MINE! No, that can't be. That just can't be…_ Gaara picked up the book and started to read the rest off as everyone remained silent, probably because they were as shocked as me.

"It seems to have a great knowledge of this and was able to cast it within battle. No one was sure how a spider such as that could do that, but it was revealed about a year later after the defeat of Kumo Konjou -indicating this event happened one year ago- when a person invaded Konoha.

"That person had been seeking out a young child by the name of Shikamaru Nara." My eyes widened.

_Me? Seeking out me?_

"We learned that he was of a strange shinobi clan of the swamps. They were a clan that possessed eyes of that of a spider. We were unable to get much information out of him; he later killed himself in his cell. We did learn that he himself didn't possess Shadow Possession, but that Kumo Konjou's spirit could reach out and cast it from that person. None of us understood that and to this day forward we are still trying to figure that out.

"Yuki Aizawa." Gaara shut the book and placed it down, he looked at Temari and Kankuro then glanced at me in concern. "Shikamaru?" I felt a hand placed on my shoulder making me jump. I looked around breathing irregularly.

"W-what?" I asked.

"Are you okay? You're freaking out here." I glanced up at Kankuro then looked at around. Gaara had gotten up and was still reading that book; Temari was staring at me with great concern in her eyes and on her face.

"I… I'm f-fine…" I stood up then fell back slightly. "Ow…" Kankuro grabbed my arm and helped steady me.

"You sure?" I sighed and shook my head.

"I guess I am a bit freaked out about this…"

"Hmm…" We looked over at Gaara. "Interesting, the date that is written on here indicated this happened seven years ago from the time it is now. We would have been around ten when the intruder tried to capture Shikamaru; well Shikamaru and me would have been ten. So on the event that Kumo Konjou attacked we were only eight. This book has probably been in this library for about five or six years by the last date in here." He closed the book and looked at me. "Let's go to Hokage-sama and show her what we have found her." I nodded and we started to walk out then my head started to hurt and I fell with Kankuro catching me.

"Whoa! Shikamaru are you okay? You're not… having another memory remembrance are you?" I shook my head.

"No, this pain is different. D-don't worry, it's probably just all this dust making me dizzy." I half smiled and stood up straight. Kankuro placed my arm over his shoulder and we walked out of the dusty library.

-oO0-o)

We were about to enter Tsunade-sama's office when Ino and Choji came around the corner. Their eyes widened when they saw us, and immediately after that they ran up to us.

"What's going on? Are you okay Shikamaru?" I looked at Ino and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a small headache and a bit dizzy from dust." She got a confused look on her face. "We were cleaning out the library."

"Oh."

"So what are you guys doing up here?" Choji asked as Gaara knocked on Tsunade-sama's door.

"To show Fifth Hokage-sama a book we found. I think you two will want to listen, it's about Kumo Konjou." They both gasped slightly then nodded.

"Come in." Was heard from the other side of the door and Gaara opened it. We went inside, all six of us. "My, my. What's with you six? Hmm? Is something wrong with Shikamaru?" I shook my head at her. "Then what do you need?" Gaara took out the book and gave it to Tsunade-sama. She frowned then read the front cover, her eyes widened and she looked up at us.

"Shikamaru found it in the back of the library. I think you should read it." She nodded to Gaara then started to read. Kankuro helped me to a chair and sat down next to me. I held my head then rubbed it slightly. The pain was going away finally. I looked up to see Ino, Choji, and Temari looking at me concerned. I waved to them to indicate I was okay. They smiled slightly and turned toward Tsunade-sama.

"This book or any record of this event should have been burned years ago. It's amazing that you found such a thing." She looked over at me. "Shikamaru, come over here." I stood up with Kankuro helping me. We walked over and stood in front of Tsunade-sama. I looked at Kankuro and he let go of me. I stood up straight.

"I assume you read the contents of this book."

"Yes I did."

"Then I think you know that we have a dangerous situation on our hands now." I nodded to her. "Good. Now, I want all of you to relax for awhile." We all stared blankly at her.

"Eh? Wait what?"

"Just relax, I don't want you guys to be investigating this "Kumo Konjou" on your own, understood? That means all four Genin teams and the Sand team will not be doing any missions for a while. It will be for your own safety if you didn't stray very far Konoha. Anko Mitarashi will look after you. Your own sensei's will be doing some missions, so you won't see them." We all stared down for a sec then nodded to her.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." We all said at once.

"Good, you are dismissed, and I'll be keeping this book." We nodded once again then turned around to leave. I grabbed my head at sudden throb of pain occurred. A screeching sound reached my ears making me fall to my knees. Sudden pain in my left shoulder made scream out in pain. Everyone bent down and tried to talk to me, but I couldn't hear anyone then all went silent.

"**Hehehehehe."** That voice! No, no, no! Not him again! **"Ah, what's wrong, don't like my gift? Is it causing you pain? Hehe, it should." **

_Wait, what? Is he watching my movements from somewhere?_

"**Oh no, I'm not doing that Shikamaru."** He's reading my thoughts! I started to breathe hard as the pain in my shoulder increased. **"Oh I'm sorry, you're suffering, but don't worry it will all be over soon. Hehehehehehe…"** His voice drifted off and I drifted off as well…


	7. Making a Choice

_The next Chapters are dedicated to Jimu whom has been my biggest supporter on this story. Thank ye so much for all your nice comments Jimu! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it: 3 (hope you enjoy the ones to come as well : 3)_

This chapter is extra long since I delayed so much on it. Hope it turned out well!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"Do you just enjoy the hospital that much?"

"… Che."

"Hehehe, it's got to be the food!" I giggled and shook my head at Choji then looked over at Shikamaru whom was back in the hospital yet again.

"Oh shut up Choji." Shikamaru growled. Choji placed his hands up.

"Heh sorry Shikamaru." Choji sat down sighing. Even though that had been funny what had just happened about two hours ago hadn't been. Shikamaru had had another remembrance and his shoulder had started bleeding again. When I saw him suffering in pain my heart had been torn apart. I hadn't been able to help him at all.

_And I still can't._ I thought staring at the ground. Kankuro touched my shoulder gently making me look up at him. He was smiling and had a look in his eyes that said "it'll be alright so don't' worry". I smiled back at him then hugged him gently. I turned my head back over to Shikamaru and Choji; they were playfully hitting each other. _At least Shikamaru's happy._ Choji's hand slipped and hit Shikamaru's left shoulder, which made him wince painfully. Immediately Choji stood up to apologize, but he tripped over the bed sheets and hit the floor making everyone laugh even Shikamaru.

"Well, it looks like you're all happy." We looked up to see Tsunade-sama, immediately we became quiet and focused our attention on her. She blinked at us then shook her head sighing. "Does everyone have to go silent when I come in?" She asked out loud.

"It's polite to be silent when the Hokage enters a room." Gaara responded to her. She stared at Gaara then shook her head. Her attention turned to Shikamaru.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked him he nodded to her. "Good that means you can go back to cleaning the library." Shikamaru gave her a sour look making her laugh. "It's got to be done and Choji, Ino, you help out as well."

"What?" Ino and Choji yelled at the same time. "But Hokage-sama-" Tsunade-sama placed a finger up making them stop talking.

"No buts, you are to do it." Tsunade-sama turned around and left the room. Silence filled the room then we all sighed greatly. Gaara started to leave making us look at him.

"Gaara...?" I asked making him stop. He turned his head and looked at me.

"I'll be at the library." Then he turned away and left. Ino shook her head slightly.

"Who actually wants to do that kind of stuff?" We shrugged then I stood up stretching. Ino looked at me then stood up as well. "Sigh there's no helping it is there?" Shikamaru nodded as he got out of the bed. Choji grabbed Shikamaru's arm and placed it over his shoulder. We nodded to them then left for the Konoha library, again.

-oO0-o)

"Aaaaah! There are bugs in here!" Ino screamed and backed up almost running into me.

"Watch it!" I growled at her already ticked off. Ino turned to me and placed her hands up.

"I'm sorry!" I glared at her then went back to work.

"It's just a few bugs, Ino."

"I know… I just don't like bugs much." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Grabbing a quite a few books of the shelves I turned and handed them to Ino. She stared at me then sighed and walked toward where Kankuro and Choji were cleaning the books.

"Temari." I turned around and looked through the bookshelves to see Gaara staring blankly at me.

"Yes Gaara?" I asked him placing books in my hand.

"I'm concerned about what will happen to Shikamaru." I stopped and blinked at him. It was rare for him to be concerned about other people besides Kankuro and me.

"What makes you concerned?" I was concerned as well of course, but seeing Gaara worry like this meant he had been thinking about this for a while. He stared at me for a second before turning his head away.

"I'm just concerned for his well being and for how things are turning out for him. I'm also worried about-" he stopped himself then turned to walk away. I reached through the bookshelves, dropping my books, and grabbed his arm turning him back around. I looked into his eyes. I wanted to ask what he meant but I let him go and he walked off without saying anything.

The look in his eyes that he had, it told me that he wanted to tell me what was going on but couldn't. I sat on the ground and stared at it. He was protecting me somehow; he didn't want me to get hurt. I shook my head and picked up the books I had dropped. _Gaara, I know you care and I know this could get dangerous, but please you've got to let me help._ I nodded to myself getting up. I headed over to Kankuro and Choji. _When I'm alone with Gaara again I'll tell him that._

-oO0-o)

It was late, probably around midnight. We had cleaned all of the books, or the ones we had in the "to clean" pile, and we also had started to organize a few of them as well. Tsunade-sama came up to us waving, we all glared at her and she sweat dropped.

"You five have to do this tomorrow too!" She said handing a key to Shikamaru. "That's the key to lock up the place."

"Huh? Why lock it up, it's not like anyone's going to steal some book." Tsunade-sama glared at Shikamaru and he sweat dropped. "Fine, fine I'll do as you say."

"Good, now if you'll excuse me I've got some sleep to catch up on." She waved and walked toward the Hokage Mansion. We all sighed and stood there as Shikamaru locked the door. He placed the key in his pocket then came up to me, yawning.

"Time to go home." He started walking and we followed him, he looked back at Choji and Ino. "Get some rest; come back here around ten or so okay?" They nodded to him. I stared at the ground for a minute then turned to him.

"Shikamaru." He looked at me yawning again. "Can I ask you something?" We both stopped and I placed my hands in front of me.

"Ask me what exactly?" I smiled and leaned forward slightly.

"Can I hold your hand on the way home?" He blinked then blushed slightly; I heard Ino giggle and Choji chuckle slightly behind us. Shikamaru turned his head away from me.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Please Shikamaru?" He turned his head back toward me then placed his hand out.

"Sigh, fine whatever." I smiled greatly then took his hand and intertwined our fingers together. He blushed a bit more then we started walking again. I looked back at Ino who smiled at me. I smiled back at her and stopped, which forced Shikamaru to stop as well, and waved to her as she entered her home, the flower shop. Choji nodded to us then ran off in his direction. Shikamaru waved then started to walk again. I walked right next to him smiling the entire time. I could tell that he was still blushing.

When we arrived home Shikaku was standing in the doorway waiting for us. Shikamaru came up to him and nodded.

"Home late I see. I heard from Lady Tsunade that you guys were to clean the library." We nodded to him. "I feel sorry for you. I would hate to do that; it'd be a real drag." I giggled slightly and Shikamaru sighed. Shikaku opened the door and we followed him in. We slipped out of our shoes and we were about to head up to Shikamaru's room when we noticed that Shikaku was staring at me and Shikamaru. Shikamaru realized why and let go of my hand. I laughed slightly then started to head up to his room with my brothers. "Hey Shikamaru, can I talk to you for a sec?" I stopped.

"Can't it wait till the morning?" Shikamaru mumbled. Shikaku shook his head. "Fine, fine what is it you want to talk to me about?" Shikamaru and Shikaku walked off to the kitchen. I smiled then ran up to my brothers and entered Shikamaru's room. I looked around and realized that we've only been in his room about three times now out of about the four weeks we've been here. I stood in the center of his room taking a full look around.

His room wasn't that decorative actually. There were few things on the wall; the only things up really were pictures of his family and friends. I walked over to a desk and picked up the picture in the frame. It was of him, Ino, Choji, and Asuma-sensei: Team 10, his team. I placed the picture down and turned around, I stopped and blinked. Gaara and Kankuro were watching me.

"You seem quite happy." Kankuro said smiling. I smiled back at him and placed my hands behind my head.

"Of course! Wouldn't you be happy as well if you got to hold the hand of the one you loved?" They both stared at me with strange expressions on their faces, which made me laugh. "Not that you two will get any girlfriends." Kankuro glared at me and placed his fist up.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Temari what makes you think I can't get a girlfriend?" He said crossing his arms. Gaara remained quiet and watched us. He knew it was hard for him to get one since everyone seemed to be afraid of him. I grinned at Kankuro and walked around him.

"Let's see, you're not that funny, you seem to be unable say the right things in front of a girl you like, you are anti-social when it comes to talking to a girl, oh and what else?" He was twitching greatly and his hands were at his side now being clenched tightly. I grinned even more as I enjoyed this greatly; I loved teasing him. "Oh and who wants to date a guy who wears face paint all over his face?"

"Excuse me? Tch, what's that got to do with anything? What about Kiba? He's got face paint on him!"

"He looks good like that, you on the other hand don't." Kankuro twitched greatly and lunged at me. Gaara grabbed the back of Kankuro's shirt without moving and sighed. I stood there holding my stomach from laughing so hard that I was unable to breathe. Kankuro was yelling at Gaara and trying to reach me. I looked up, still laughing, to notice Shikamaru in the doorway staring at us. I laughed even harder when I saw the expression on his face. He coughed slightly making Kankuro and Gaara look at him. Kankuro stared then stopped feeling embarrassed. Gaara let go of Kankuro and sat down on his bed. I stopped laughing and fell to the ground panting slightly.

"Uuuuh, are you okay?" Shikamaru asked me coming over. I nodded to him. He scratched his head. "Did I miss something?" I was about to say something when Kankuro grabbed my mouth. He glared at me then half-smiled at Shikamaru.

"You missed nothing, nothing at all." He glanced back at me still glaring. Shikamaru stared then sighed greatly. He walked over to his bed and took out his hair tie. Kankuro and I blinked and stared at him. He looked at us and blinked back.

"What?"

"This is the first time I've seen your hair down fully." I said slightly smiling. He stared then made a face turning around. He climbed into his bed and pulled the covers over himself. I watched him for a second then got up pushing Kankuro over. I grabbed my things and went to change. I stopped at the doorway and looked over at Shikamaru. I smiled as I noticed he was sleeping. "He really is lazy, isn't he?"

-oO0-o)

_**Shikamaru**_

There was darkness everywhere, and tunnels that seemed to lead nowhere. The only light source that was around was a couple of candles lanterns hanging on the walls. I ran through the tunnels making loud splashing sounds because of the water at my feet. Behind me was a girl, the same girl from all my dreams. I looked around as I ran gripping the girl's hand more tightly. She fell to her feet suddenly making me stopped.

"Shikamaru…" I made a grim face then helped her to her feet and ran down a tunnel that was to our right. I stopped and held her close to me. We needed to rest for a minute before running again. I looked around and realized that this was a dream, another nightmare. I looked at the girl who had her head in my chest making it impossible for me to see her face.

_Will I ever find out who she is before she dies as always?_ I thought grimly as I started to run again. I skidded to a halt when I realized we had hit a dead end. We turned around to go back, but sudden splashing from up ahead made me decide otherwise. The girl turned to me fully and I looked at her. My eyes widen greatly when I saw who it was.

Temari.

_All this time, the girl from my dreams, it's been you?_ My heart ached when I realized she was going to die yet again. I turned my head when I saw about five shinobi, whom seemed to be from unknown village, approach us. I held Temari close to me and glared at them. I didn't have enough Chakra left to use Shadow Neck Bind; if I did we could get out of this.

I held Temari closer as I saw them lift up their kunai. I closed my eyes and waited for the dreaded moment of the kunai hitting us. When the kunai did hit, we fell to the ground and skidded slightly. I looked over at Temari and saw her crying making tears fill my eyes as well. I reached out for her and tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. Then I flew up in my bed.

I was breathing hard and sweating all over. I placed my hand over my heart as I felt it ache greatly. I closed my eyes trying to go over what had just happened.

"Shikamaru?" I turned my head quickly to see Gaara staring at me. I blinked at him then hung my head. "Is something wrong?" I shook my head slightly.

"Just… a bad dream."

"… … A… nightmare? Tell me about it." I looked up at Gaara surprised then nodded to him. I turned toward him more and explained to him about my dream. I decided to tell him fully about my dreams starting from the very first one I had. I could see that he was listening intently and that he was letting me explain before he asked any questions.

When I got to the dream I just had his eyes had widened slightly and he looked at the ground.

"Interesting." He said after I was done.

"What's interesting?" I asked him as I rubbed my left shoulder.

"Well, most of the time you shouldn't be able to remember your dreams, much less know that you are dreaming." I nodded to him slightly and stared at the ground. "You said this started about a year or so again, correct?" I nodded again. "Right after you lost your memory. Perhaps your subconscious is trying to make you remember someone, but in a difficult way. You said Temari was always dying, so let's say that your subconscious is making you remember someone important to you; someone that you lost." I looked up at him trying to think about what he had just said then I closed my eyes to think.

"So what you are saying is that my subconscious is making me remember someone that I missed dearly?" I opened my eyes and he nodded slightly to me. "But why make her die? If I missed someone that much, wouldn't I rather want to see them alive then see them dead?" He looked down thinking about it then shook his head not knowing the answer to that. I sighed and laid down in my bed. I stared at the ceiling as silence filled the room. So many questions filled my head that I couldn't answer. _Why is this happening to me? How come I'm the one that must suffer like this? Is there something going on here that I don't understand? Perhaps… perhaps it's connected to that book I found._

"Shikamaru, do you love Temari?" I bolted up in bed and stared down at Gaara, the question had caught me off guard.

"Wh-what?" I said starting to blush.

"Do you love Temari?" He said again. I looked away from him and felt my face warm up more. Gaara kept silent as he waited for my reply. I looked at him then over to Temari. I watched her as she slept soundly, images from my dream appeared in my mind. I grabbed my chest and clenched it; my heart was hurting again. I placed a hand over my face then looked back over to Gaara. He stared at me then nodded slightly. "I'm sorry, that question was inappropriate to ask."

"No," I said shaking my head, "I'm just not ready to answer it yet." He nodded again then turned around to sleep.

"I understand." I nodded slightly then laid down in my bed once again. I stared at the ceiling. I placed my hand up in the air and stared at it.

_Do I love Temari?_ I asked myself before drifting off to sleep.

-oO0-o)

"I brought the food!" I looked up as Ino came running over to us. It was around noon and we were taking a break from organizing. Lucky for us the library was small meaning we'd finish around three or so. I thanked Ino as she handed me a rice ball. Placing the rice ball in my mouth I started to organize the books in front of me.

"Jeez, you still work even when we are taking a break. That's so unlike you Shikamaru." I looked over at Ino who was shaking her head at me. I shrugged and continued to work. "You just want to get this done with don't you?" I nodded to her then looked up to see Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Hinata walk up to us. I waved to them and they waved back.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Kiba asked as he knelt down in front of me.

"Cleaning the library." Ino answered him. Kiba looked at her and blinked.

"Why?"

"Hokage-sama told us too." Kiba looked over at Gaara whom had answered him.

"Man do I feel sorry for you guys." Kiba stood up and grinned slightly then petted Akamaru.

"How on earth did you get Akamaru in here without making a mess?" Temari asked looking over at them. They looked at her then each other. Akamaru barked at her and Kiba smiled.

"He said 'I'm just that good'." Temari twitched and made a face. Ino and I sighed shaking our heads. I could understand why Temari thought Akamaru would make a mess; he's quite a big dog. His head was just a little over Kiba's waist and his body reached up to a least Kiba's thighs. Kiba himself was probably around five foot nine or so.

"K… Kiba maybe we should… help." I looked up at Hinata then at Kiba to see his response. He glanced at Hinata then scratched his head to think.

"Why?"

"Well… if we helped… they wouldn't have to be in here… for so long."

"Hmm… I don't know…"

"Let's help." Shino bent down and started to help me. I nodded to him then glanced up at Kiba who had a weird expression on his face.

"… Fine then, if Shino thinks we should help then I guess we should." Hinata smiled then walked over to Ino to ask what she should do. Kiba bent down and started to help me with the organizing.

-oO0-o)

We worked through the day and eventually got more people. It seemed that everyone stopped by to help, how annoying. Temari sent Akamaru out after he knocked over a shelf that we had just gotten done organizing. She almost went to get her fan and beat Kiba with it, Gaara had to restrain her.

After awhile I looked up to see that every Genin team was in here: Team 7, Team 8, Team Gai, my team, and Gaara's team. I still don't know how we convinced them all to help, but I do know how they could all possibly be here. Tsunade-sama did say that all four Genin teams and the Sand team weren't allowed to do missions for a while.

I smiled slightly to see how much fun everyone was having doing this. _It really is fun to be with all your friends._ I yawned and looked at the clock to see it was around seven or so. _Wow, it's that late already? Time sure flies by._ By this time we had pretty much finished doing all our work and now where either reading or playing some random game board we found while cleaning.

I got up from where I was sitting and walked around. Naruto, Kankuro, and Kiba were playing a card game, while Hinata and Shino watched them. Tenten and Neji were reading a book or trying to. I could see that they were watching Naruto and company as well. Lee, as always, was doing some weird training exercise. I'll never understand that boy. Ino, Choji, Sakura, and Sasuke found a board game and were being very loud about it. I believe Gaara and Temari walked off to talk alone about something. I shrugged and went outside to see how Akamaru was doing. He was curled up and looked kind of sad; I sighed and went over to him.

"Akamaru, you can come in as long as you don't cause a mess." He looked at me and stood up wagging his tail. He barked once, licked my face then went inside. I wiped my face off, doggy slobber, and went back in. I heard Kiba talk to Akamaru and some of the others freak out slightly. I shook my head and was about to head in when I heard someone approach; I turned around then frowned when I saw whom it was.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Anko Mitarashi said waving and smiling. I raised an eyebrow at her then crossed my arms. "What? Not happy to see me?"

"I know the Fifth said for you to watch over us, but isn't it kind of late for you to be here- Hey! Where are you going?" Anko had pushed past me and went inside. I went in after her.

"Hey everybody!" She waved to everybody smiling. That got everyone to stop what he or she was doing and look at her.

"Anko-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked her as Anko looked around for a place to sit.

"Just doing what the Hokage asked me to do."

"What was that exactly?"

"To look after us." We all turned to see Gaara and Temari walking up to us. Anko smiled and nodded.

"Yup!"

"Eh? Since when do we need someone to look after us?" Naruto piped up glaring at Anko. Anko grinned at Naruto.

"Since the Hokage said so." Naruto twitched then placed his fist in the air at Anko.

"Well tell Granny Tsunade to k-" I grabbed Naruto's mouth and held onto him. He struggled in my arms and tried to rip my hands off his mouth. I sighed greatly and rolled my eyes.

"You're such a drag to take care of sometimes." I mumbled under my breath then I whispered in his ear. "Naruto, settle down, we have to follow Tsunade-sama's orders, okay?" Naruto took my hands off and turned to me.

"Why? She just suddenly announced that none of us are going to be doing any missions! I could care less to what she tells us." He crossed his arms and pouted. I sighed again and shook my head. I looked over to see Anko still grinning at Naruto.

"So, why are you here this late anyway?" I asked her. She stood up and got in the middle of us.

"To announce you guys are getting a mission." Naruto's eyes lit up and he turned to Anko.

"What? Really! What kind of mission!" We all sighed and shook our heads; he sure changes moods fast.

"It's S-Rank so listen well." S-Rank eh? Everyone mumbled for a bit about that then focused on Anko whom was grinning. "And you know that being S-Rank you have to do it. Well anyway here's what the mission is." Naruto eyes were still gleaming and he looked like he was about to bounce around like a little boy. I grabbed his head to make sure that he wouldn't. "Your mission is… to go swimming." I coughed while everyone stared at her dumb-folded. Naruto's eyes stopped gleaming and he gave Anko a strange expression. I sighed and shook my head.

"This isn't a mission, is it?" Anko looked at me and sweat dropped.

"Well not really."

"Sigh, what is she planning now..."

"Hehe, well that I can't tell you, but I can tell you that you have to do it so that's why I called it S-Rank." I sighed again.

"You're kidding me? We're FORCED to go swimming?" I looked over at Kiba who placed his hands up in the air. "Yahoo! This is the easiest thing I've ever been told to do!" Anko raised up her hand at Kiba.

"That's the spirit!" Everyone started to get excited about it. I hung my head and placed a hand over my face.

_This is just ridiculous._

-oO0-o)

_**Gaara**_

I leaned against a wall and watched as everyone left the room, fortunately for me Kankuro and Temari were distracted enough that they didn't notice I wasn't going with them. I closed my eyes and waited for silence. When it finally came I walked to the back of the library where Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga were waiting for me. They nodded when I came up and I leaned against the wall again.

"Is everyone gone, Gaara?" Sasuke Uchiha asked me. I nodded to him. "Good, then we can talk about the situation." Neji Hyuuga looked at me then down at the ground.

"How is Shikamaru? Any changes from the last time?" Neji Hyuuga asked me. I closed my eyes to think about it.

"So far from the point of catching the spider creature to now there hasn't been much change, but," they both looked at me, "he's gained that mark on his left shoulder. I'm not sure what it does, but I think we should ask Hokage-sama about it." They nodded to me.

"Anything else?" I opened my eyes and looked at Sasuke.

"Not really, though recently his shoulder has been hurting again, it might be a sign that the mark isn't just there for nothing." We all closed our eyes to think about this. It was hard to get much information since it has only been about a week since that spider attacked us.

"Hey guys." I opened my eyes and looked at Neji Hyuuga. "Do you remember what Lady Tsunade was telling us earlier?"

"… You mean about Kumo Konjou?" Sasuke Uchiha asked. Neji Hyuuga nodded. "Yeah, hard to forget that conversation."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"_**You three, I want you three do to something. Protect Shikamaru Nara." **_

"_**From what, Lady Tsunade?"**_

"_**From Kumo Konjou."**_

"_**How do you mean? If it's a spirit within the marsh lands, then there's no worry."**_

"_**If this spider, as you have stated Gaara, is protecting Shikamaru then we have a problem. Kumo Konjou is very dangerous; it can talk to people from long distances away. It talks to them through their mind and can convince them to do things that they do not wish to do."**_

"_**Why would it want Shikamaru?" Tsunade-sama looked at us then out the window.**_

"_**For Kumo Konjou is a creature that possesses the Shadow Possession ability just like Shikamaru." We all gasped. "He needs a new host body. Kumo Konjou has two people to choose from, Shikaku and Shikamaru. Shikamaru is a perfect fit for him since Shikaku is too old now. That's why you are needed to protect Shikamaru. If Kumo Konjou gets possession of his body just think what could happen." She turned to us and we stood up straight. "Gaara, Neji Hyuuga, and Sasuke Uchiha. I want you three to watch Shikamaru closely, if he decides to leave the village without my order or anyone else's you are to take him down and bring him here. Understood?"**_

"_**Understood, Hokage-sama!"**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"Hehe, this could get ugly if we aren't careful." I nodded to Sasuke Uchiha then sighed.

"We'd better go to Hokage-sama and ask her about that mark." They nodded to me and we started to head out of the library. When we got out we stopped to see Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru waiting for us. I glanced at Temari and saw that she was angry, I looked away not ready to face her.

We had talked earlier and she told me that she could handle this and that she wanted to help. I had told her it was dangerous, but she shook her head already knowing that. I also told her that I couldn't tell her what was going on, but she wouldn't accept that; she wanted to help Shikamaru. I had said that I would tell her when the time was right. She didn't like that but she didn't argue.

Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha looked at me then waved and started to walk off. "Let's do this tomorrow then, Gaara." I nodded to them then turned to Kankuro and Shikamaru; I refused to look Temari in the face.

"Shall we be off then?" Shikamaru nodded to me and started to walk. Temari came up to him and grabbed his hand. Shikamaru made a face at her but didn't argue. I was glad that she was able to be with him. _Hopefully we can make sure she stays with him._ I started to slow my pace unconsciously because I was deep in thought. Kankuro slowed down as well and watched me worriedly.

"Gaara? Is everything alright?" I looked at him blankly, then down at the ground.

"I'm not really sure, Kankuro, but I have a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen."

"Something… terrible? Such as what?" I looked up ahead at Shikamaru then at Kankuro.

"Something that deals with him." He nodded to me. "But I don't want to involve Temari. It'll hurt her too much."

"I understand, Gaara. I'll ask Shikamaru to keep her distracted for you if you want." I looked at Kankuro and gave a very small smile.

"Thank you, Kankuro. That probably will be best." He smiled back then ran up to where Temari and Shikamaru were leaving me behind to think.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"So you want to know about the mark that is on Shikamaru's neck?" Neji Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and I nodded to Tsunade-sama. It was the next day and we were in her office with Shizune-sama.

Tsunade-sama looked around then nodded to Shizune-sama who went over to the door and made sure no one was in the hallways. She locked the door and stood again by Tsunade-sama. We waited for the Hokage to speak.

"I probably should have talked to you guys about this before since we didn't know about the mark till after that conversation. That mark is proof we are very short on time." We looked down at the ground; I clenched my fist slightly upset that this was moving too fast. "The mark is a symbol from Kumo Konjou, though I am unsure on how Shikamaru got it since a spider from Kumo Konjou has to directly bite into him in order for the mark to appear." Sasuke Uchiha's eyes lit up and he stepped forward.

"Hokage-sama, I think I know." We all looked at him; Tsunade-sama raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"After the capture of the spider, you had told me to tell Sakura to keep an eye on Shikamaru daily. When I entered the room he had a sudden panic attack and was screaming in pain. At that time his shoulder started to bleed, perhaps…"

"Perhaps a spider of Kumo Konjou's bit him in a dream." Neji Hyuuga finished. "You did say that Kumo Konjou is able to communicate to Shikamaru through the mind." Tsunade-sama's eyes widened.

"I think to conclude this is to say that not only can Kumo Konjou contact Shikamaru through the mind, but he can also appear to him physically inside dreams." I finished off with our explanation.

"If what you conclude is true then the situation has worsened! Neji, Sasuke, Gaara, when you guys go swimming tomorrow keep a close eye on Shikamaru. If the mark does not grow then we still have time, but if his eyes happen to change I want you three to bring him here immediately." We looked at her slightly confused.

"Change how?" Sasuke Uchiha asked. Tsunade-sama's eyes grew serious.

"If his eyes become that of a spider." Our eyes widened then we nodded to her.

"Understood, Hokage-sama." We bowed then left her office and started to walk out.

"This is just getting worse and worse by each passing moment." I glanced at Sasuke Uchiha. "I can't believe that such a thing has happened, I never knew that there were such creatures that needed host bodies to exist. I couldn't even believe it when Tsunade-sama talked about it earlier. "I stopped and stared at the ground. They also stopped and looked at me.

"Gaara?"

"There have been such things for a long time." I looked at them then walked past them. Shukaku, the one-tailed demon, had lived inside of me once so I understood more than them what Kumo Konjou really was. Naruto Uzumaki understood this as well since he had the Nine-tailed demon fox, the Kyuubi, inside of him.

I looked up at the sky as I went down the stairs on the side of the Hokage Mansion.

_I think Naruto Uzumaki should know about this. He would understand and be able to help. _I stopped then turned around and grabbed Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha as they came out of the door. They looked at me in surprise then turned around and decided to follow me.

"Gaara? Something wrong?"

"I need to ask Hokage-sama one more thing and you two should listen as well." I knocked on the door and waited to go in until she said "Come in". When we walked back inside she looked at us in surprise.

"Hmm? Is there something else you need to tell me?" I stopped in front of her desk and bowed.

"I would like to ask a request." She lifted an eyebrow at me. "I believe Naruto Uzumaki should also know this information."

"What?" Everyone stared at me, surprised. Tsunade-sama sat down and placed her hands on her chin.

"And what makes you think Naruto should know this?" She asked me.

"Since, like me, he is a holder of demon spirit, so he would understand what is going on and would be able to help the situation." Her eyes widened and she glanced at Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha whose eyes were also widened.

"Naruto's a holder… of a demon spirit?" I looked at Sasuke Uchiha then at Tsunade-sama whom sighed greatly.

"Tch, Gaara, I guess you don't understand that the information about the Kyuubi is S-Rank information." I blinked at the then bowed.

"Then I'm very sorry for saying that without thinking." She waved her hand at me.

"No biggie, I think it was about time Neji and Sasuke learned the truth." She looked at them and blinked. Her eyes were focused on Neji Hyuuga. I glanced at him as well.

Neji Hyuuga was deep in thought thinking about something. I watched him carefully and waited for him to say something. Everyone remained quiet as well.

"I see." He finally said. "So that's why he has such enormous Chakra." Tsunade-sama nodded to him. "Alright, I agree with Gaara then and I will also keep this a secret." Tsunade-sama smiled then looked at Sasuke Uchiha whom nodded to her.

"I'll do the same."

"Alright then you three go tell Naruto about this, but no one else, understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" We bowed and she dismissed us with her hand. We left and went off to locate Naruto Uzumaki.

-oO0-o)

We had caught Naruto Uzumaki right before he entered the Ichiraku Ramen Bar; we had to pull him away so no one else would hear this information. After we told him he put on that serious face of his and told us he understood. We had nodded and told him to be prepared for tomorrow. This was a mission for us and we weren't about to go into it without being prepared for the worst.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"Kankuro, seriously just take the face paint off. It's going to get washed off anyway so you should just do it now." Kankuro glared at me and I glared back. Gaara and Shikamaru watched us quietly and stayed out of this. Today was the day we were going swimming and I was yelling at Kankuro about all the face paint yet again.

"Who says I'll go swimming then?"

"What? Not go swimming? That's ridiculous! I know Gaara's afraid of the water, but I didn't know you were too." He glared at me then got up and went upstairs. I smirked then turned to Shikamaru and Gaara. Both were looking at me with sweat dropped faces. I blinked then sweat dropped myself. "Hehehe, sorry Gaara didn't mean to say that out like that." He shook his head at me then continued to eat breakfast. Shikamaru mumbled his breath, probably saying "how annoying". Shikaku came over to us and sat down.

"What's this I hear about going swimming?" Shikaku asked us.

"It's annoying, but the Fifth is forcing us to go swimming since she isn't allowing us to do missions." Shikamaru answered him.

"Hmm, hope you have fun with that."

"Che."

"Hehe, you've got to know when to relax, Shikamaru. I think Lady Tsunade is doing you guys a favor, so just follow what she says and relax." Shikamaru "hmphed" at Shikaku then started to eat his food. I stood up and brushed myself off then I grabbed my bowl and placed it in the sink.

"Is it alright if I clean the dishes, Senpai?" I asked Shikaku who blushed and waved his hand at me.

"I'll do them Temari, and I thought I told you guys to just call me Shikaku." I smiled at him and shook my head; he sighed then looked up when a knock came to the door. He got up and left the kitchen then came back about a minute later. "Hey Temari. Ino, Sakura, and Tenten want you to come with them. They also said for you to bring your stuff for today." I blinked at him then nodded.

I waved bye to Shikamaru and Gaara and told them I'd see them there then I ran upstairs. I went inside Shikamaru's room to see Kankuro packing his things. Grabbing my stuff and fluffing his hair, which made him mad, I ran out the door yelling,

"Don't wear your hat either, Kankuro! Just go without it!" I ran down the stairs and grinned when I heard him yell. I waved to Ino, Sakura, and Tenten when I got to the door.

"Hey Temari!" Tenten waved to me. I walked out and shut the door behind myself.

"So what do you guys want?"

"Oh, I think we should get you a cute swimming suit!" I blinked at Ino.

"What? I don't need one… Well… now that I think about it, I actually do." I said sheepishly. Ino smiled at me.

"Alright girls! Let's get Hinata then head over to the store!"

-oO0-o)

I was sitting in a tree, the same one where I had almost kissed Shikamaru. I felt my face warm up at the memory then it made me think how I was going to kill Ino, Sakura, and Tenten later. Of all the swimming suits to buy they bought me a bikini! I kept thinking on how I was going to face Shikamaru wearing something like that; I wouldn't even be able to face him. Fortunately for me Hinata had a tie around skirt that I could wear.

I sighed greatly and rested my chin on my hands. We were waiting for the boys to arrive. Anko-sensei was sitting on the other branch next to me sleeping.

"This is ridiculous, boys always come late!" Ino pouted, Sakura giggled.

"Don't worry about it so much! Boys will be boys after all." Ino "hmphed" at her and made a pouty face.

"But they're making a girl wait!"

"If you're so bored then let's play a little game while we wait for them." Ino looked at Sakura curiously whom grinned at her. Then she looked up at me. I shrugged then jumped down and sat next to Hinata.

"So what's this little game of yours, Sakura?" Tenten asked sitting next to me. Sakura looked at the sky then to us.

"Well, how about some question trivia?"

-oO0-o)

"Tenten, do you like someone?"

"What? How dare you ask me that!"

"Just answer the question."

"Hmph, fine." I smiled as I watched Tenten think about. I wonder whom she does like. Sakura and Ino looked like they really wanted to know. "Uh, well." Tenten blushed slightly. "It's…" She shook her head violently. "No I refuse!"

"Oh come on it can't be that bad…" Ino poked her in the side grinning.

"No I won't!"

"Yeah Tenten." We looked at Anko-sensei. "Just tell us." She leaned slightly in at Tenten's face making her blush more.

"Yo! We're here!" Shikamaru came running up to us with the others.

"ALRIGHT IT'S KANKURO!" Everyone turned to her and stared blankly. We, meaning us girls, burst out laughing. Tenten's faced gloomed up and blushed more when she realized that even the boys heard that. Kankuro came up behind us probably wondering why his name was suddenly mentioned.

"Uh, Temari, what's going on here?" I looked up at him still laughing but stopped when I saw his face. I smiled then patted Tenten's head.

"Nothing, Kankuro. Oh and see you do look better without all that face paint." He made a face at me making me laugh. Tenten turned around and looked up at him, which immediately made her turn back around. Kankuro stared at her with a confused expression on his face.

Anko-sensei stood up and made a fist.

"Alright! Time to swim!"

-oO0-o)

"Aaaaaaaah!" A huge splash exploded from the water making me look over. Looks like Kankuro threw Naruto face first into the water. I frowned and shook my head thinking about how much force Kankuro used in that.

"Kankuro! Lighten up!" He looked over at Gaara then hung his head.

"Sorry Gaara. I guess I was having too much- AAH!" Kankuro went under the water suddenly. I laughed when I realized Naruto was having payback. I looked around to see what everyone else was doing.

Gaara and Shino were watching everyone while leaning against a tree. I frowned when I saw that both of them weren't in swimming suits. _Scaredy-cats._ Neji, Lee, and Sasuke were having a sparring match on top of the water. I shook my head at them. _Don't know when to relax do you…_ Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru were sneaking up on Kankuro and Naruto whom just got out of the water. I watched as they jumped on them making them go back under. Sakura and Ino were trying to get Tenten to go talk to Kankuro. Hinata was standing next to me smiling. I looked in direction of her gaze and smiled. She was watching Naruto, how cute. Anko-sensei looked like she was plotting something evil behind that tree. I sweat dropped and was glad I wasn't in the water.

I got up and looked around for Shikamaru when I spotted him I got up and went over to him. He looked up when he saw me.

"Yo." He said as I sat down next to him.

"What are you doing over here you lazy-bum?"

"Che, that's not nice and I'm watching the clouds."

"Don't you ever get bored of watching those…" I said frowning at him, he only shrugged. I sighed and shook my head then stared down at him. He closed his eyes and relaxed. I bit my lip and looked away from him. I really wanted to kiss him, but I'm not sure if he'd like that.

I was about to get up when suddenly a soaking wet Kankuro came up to us holding a wet Naruto in his hands. He looked really frustrated and angry. I laughed at him as he dropped Naruto on the ground. Naruto sat up and rubbed his head.

"Alright, I'm sorry for assaulting you like that."

"Assaulting me? You nearly killed me!"

"I did not!"

"You did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Che, shut up, you two are annoying." Naruto and Kankuro stopped fighting and looked at Shikamaru who sat up and glared at them. Naruto sweat dropped then his face lit up. Grabbing Kankuro by the arm he ran off to the side. Shikamaru and I looked at each then at them wondering what they were doing.

At first Kankuro struggled but then his face too lit up. He and Naruto turned away from us probably so we wouldn't be able to read their faces. Hinata and Tenten, who managed to get away from Sakura and Ino, walked by Kankuro and Naruto. They watched them for a minute then grabbed the both and started to say something them. It's ironic that the ones Kankuro and Naruto grab are the two girls that like them.

I stood up and started to walk off not wanting to be part of their plot. About a minute or so later I heard Hinata and Tenten run up behind me. They came up in front of me smiling then they turned me around and dragged me over to the shallow end of the water. It was a little bit off from everyone else, which made me think about that plot of theirs… Apparently I'm part of it.

"What are you two doing exactly?" I growled at them and they let me go. I faced them fully and crossed my arms.

"Nothing really Temari! Just… getting some payback." I raised an eyebrow at Tenten then she and Hinata turned me around and jumped off just as Shikamaru suddenly came falling atop of me. I looked up at him surprised and he looked down at me just as surprised. Both of our faces flushed up greatly. I gulped when I saw how close his face was to mine, inches apart.

"Uh... Uh… Te-Temari… I… I'm so sorry!" Shikamaru stuttered as he tried to lift up. I looked away from him.

"N… no… it wasn't y-your fault." Wait, if it wasn't his fault then whose fault was… I twitched when I realized.

"KANKURO!" I looked to my right to see him and Naruto laughing their heads off. Shikamaru was glaring at them and was as mad as I was at them. I heard giggling and looked behind me to see Hinata and Tenten. _How dare they… Oh I'll get you for this…_ I looked up to see Shikamaru wincing slightly from pain. He sat up quickly and placed a hand over his left eye. My eyes widened and I sat up as well. Kankuro, Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten stopped laughing when they saw Shikamaru in pain. I glanced toward them and noticed that Naruto got a serious face. He said something to Kankuro and was about to jump away when suddenly he froze.

I blinked then realized that he was caught in a jutsu, Shikamaru's jutsu! I looked at Shikamaru to notice he wasn't in pain anymore, but his hand was still over his left eye. Sudden fear jolted through my body when I realized something wasn't right. I glanced back over at Naruto who was trying to move.

"S… Shikamaru what are you… doing!" He yelled at Shikamaru. Shikamaru's expression went blank then he removed his hand from his face and my eyes widened at what I saw.

His entire left eye had changed. It was now a purplish/green color and it had bug-like features. Naruto, being in view, gasped loudly but I couldn't rip my eyes away from Shikamaru's to see why. It was almost as they were hypnotizing me, like a genjutsu. I heard a sound and forced my eyes to see what it was. A kunai was in Shikamaru's hand and it was about to come down on me.

"Shikamaru! NO DON'T!" Kankuro raced forward but was stopped by Shikamaru's shadow, the same happened to Hinata and Tenten.

_But how? He didn't even do any hand signs!_ I stared at Shikamaru's expressionless face.

"Shikamaru stop! Stop it now! Don't let that thing take control of you!" Naruto kept yelling out to him. "SHIKAMARU!" He pushed me down with one hand and held me there, I tried moving my arms but he quickly grabbed them and held them over my head. I struggled but he was holding me down with such force that it hurt to move. I bit my lip as tears started to form.

_Is this the end?_ I waited for kunai to strike. His hand rose up then moved down in a fast motion. I closed my eyes at that moment missing the other kunai that flew out. It hit the one in Shikamaru's hand, which went flying. I opened my eyes as a familiar sound was swirling around us. Sand wrapped around Shikamaru's body and lifted him off of me. I sat up quickly and looked around to see Shikamaru's jutsu end. Kankuro quickly raced to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Temari are you alright?" I nodded barely at him, my attention was on Shikamaru. Gaara came up with Neji and Sasuke whom ran over to Shikamaru and grabbed him. Gaara released the sand and Neji hit Shikamaru in the face. Shikamaru winced then hung his head. We waited in silence as Sasuke and Neji placed Shikamaru on the ground then Shikamaru groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Neji grabbed his arm and helped him sit up. Shikamaru looked around at us confused his hand went up to his head and he held it tightly.

"W… what happened?" My eyes widened.

_He… he doesn't remember? What's going on here?_ I looked over at Gaara but his attention was on Shikamaru.

"Neji Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki. We need to take him to the Hokage." All three of them nodded to Gaara. Sasuke and Neji got on opposite sides of Shikamaru and grabbed his arms placing them on their shoulders. They jumped off with Naruto following them. I immediately got up and went to follow them but Gaara grabbed my arm. "Temari, wait." I shoved him off.

"What the hell is going on here Gaara?" I yelled at him. He stared at me then looked at the ground. "Don't say you can't tell me either!" He avoided my gaze and ignored me by looking over at Kankuro.

"Kankuro, tell the others that we won't be back for a bit." Gaara looked over at Tenten and Hinata. "Please keep Temari here." They nodded to him then he jumped off. I went to run after him but Tenten and Hinata grabbed me. I struggled but finally gave up and fell to my knees. I put my hands to my face and started to cry. Kankuro quickly ran off to tell the others, while Tenten and Hinata tried to comfort me. I felt helpless all over again.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I stared at the cold floor and wondered what was going on. I had been taken quickly to Tsunade-sama who had examined me on my arrival. Then Neji and Sasuke took me to an isolated room and set me down in there. Tsunade-sama had told me that my body was being taken over and I needed to be isolated. At that time I had only nodded to her, trusting her. Now I wish I hadn't.

I curled up and sighed greatly. _Wow, I got taken over and didn't even know._ I closed my eyes and tried to find out what had happened. All I remember is being dragged by Kankuro and Naruto only to be pushed on top of Temari. We had an embarrassing moment then I felt pain in my eye and I blacked out. I woke up with a hurting cheek and Neji holding onto me. _Che, even concluding all that got me to know nothing.4"_

"**Do you really want to know what had happened Shikamaru?"** My eyes flew open and I looked around.

"Not you again…" I groaned. I heard a strange laugh that made my spine shiver.

"**You're never happy to see me are you? Well that's okay, not many people would be." **The shadows in front of me suddenly dance and started to form a figure. I scooted back until I hit a wall, my eyes widened when the figure was formed. It was me but only as shadows. **"Hehe, scared? This makes it easier for me to talk to you." **I twitched slightly then sighed knowing there was no way I could take this guy whose been tormenting me on.

"What do you want…"

"**I'm going to tell you what really happened. Now watch."** The shadow me before me vanished then reappeared with the scene of me over Temari. I blinked and stared blankly at this. Then the scene erupted before me. The shadow me raised a kunai over the shadow Temari and flew it down, then the shadows merged into one. They swirled over to me and came next to me. It became my shape again. **"That's what happened, you almost killed Temari."**

"No… I… I don't believe that."

"**Believe it Shikamaru because you did."** I stared down at the ground clenching my fists. I knew that to be true I just didn't want to believe it. I sighed and held my head. I felt arms wrap around making me look up. **"Shikamaru, Shikamaru. It's okay; I can help you from killing her. Cause you know that if you stay like this you'll eventually start killing recklessly."** I looked at him then turned away.

"How can you help me…"

"**Hehe, if you come to where I am, I can prevent you from changing any further. Such as from your eye becoming more of a spider."** I gasped then looked around for a mirror, he moved away from me and made himself into one. I looked at him and saw my eye, my hand slowly touched it.

"What… what is this?" I scooted away from the mirror. He turned back into me and came by my side.

"**That's the curse that flows through your veins, Shikamaru. It'll only get worse if you stay like this, so let me help you."** I glared at him.

"Why would I want you to help me? You did this to me didn't you!"

"**Hehehehe, Shikamaru, I'll give you a choice. If you want to come to me for help then stand on top of the Hokage Mansion. When you do think of two words, Kumo Konjou, but,"** he scooted away from me then started to disappear, **"if you don't want to you'll continue to change and you know what will happen. Make the right choice Shikamaru, especially if you love that girl. Oh and don't take more than three weeks to answer or else… Hehehehehehe."** He suddenly vanished leaving me alone in the dark. I stared at the empty space then at the ground. I clenched my fist tightly then threw it at the wall.

"What the hell am I supposed to do!" I sighed and stared at it, the door behind me opened and Tsunade-sama rushed in. She looked at me seriously and I stared blankly at her. We stared at each other like that and I saw her have some hatred in her eyes when she glanced toward my mark. She helped me to my feet and started to lead me off.

"We're sealing this mark."

After she sealed the mark on my shoulder, which was very painful, I came to realize what I was going to do. I clenched my fist as I slowly started to pass out from the pain.

_I'm not going to let Temari die._


	8. The Persuasion of Fear

Chapter 8 moves quite fast, sorry, but please enjoy! I've also noticed that the Naruto characters have become quite OOC. I apologize for that as well.

ENJOY!

This one's about half the size of Chapter 7.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

"Are you releasing him Lady Tsunade?"

"I was never holding him captive."

"We understand that, but is he going to be able to walk around freely anytime soon?" Voices, but whose were they? They ran through my ears making my head throb.

"Sigh, I don't know… that mark on his shoulder concerns me." Mark? What mark… oh yeah that, that's why I'm in here, wherever here is. I opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark no light whatsoever except the small one from the crack under the door. I sat up slowly holding my head. Why does it seem my head's always hurting? This place was damp and slightly cold. It felt like a prisoner's cell. "Fine you can see him, but I'm still unsure about letting him walk around by himself." I looked toward the door as it opened.

Instantly light flooded in, blinding me. Footsteps approached then arms flew around me.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad you're okay!"

"Dad…?" I managed to say. My dad, the one hugging me, let go and helped me to my feet. I looked around again once my eyesight became better. I noticed that there was nothing in the room really. A small bed and that was about it. _What is the Fifth thinking placing me in here? Am I dangerous or something? _I thought then looked to the left as Tsunade-sama came up next to my dad. Her eyes had a look as if she wanted to apologize or something, but for an odd reason it looked like she couldn't. On the other side of my dad was Asuma-sensei. "Sensei? What's going on?" I already had an idea I just wanted to know if it was correct.

Asuma-sensei looked away from me then turned his head to Tsunade-sama. She gave him a look then nodded as if approving to say something. He turned his attention back to me then kneeled down slightly.

"Well Shikamaru, Hokage-sama has been saying that an evil creature is out to hurt you. It's the one that gave you that mark." He pointed to my left shoulder making me glance at it. "We have an idea where it is, but we're not exactly sure of its specific location. So in order to find it we're isolating the one thing it wants: you." I stared at him as he stood up. I clenched my fists and looked into his eyes.

"Does it have a name?" I dared to ask.

"Kumo Konjou." Tsunade-sama answered me. I looked at her and blinked. I didn't expect to get an answer. I looked down at the ground.

_So that's why he wanted me to…_ I looked back up and nodded slightly. My dad looked at Tsunade-sama whom seemed reluctant to do something, but she sighed and motioned us to leave. My dad placed a hand on my back and led me out of the room.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade."

"Yeah, yeah. But be warned, he's going to be watched." Tsunade-sama glanced at me then grabbed the door to shut it. I looked back into the room just before she did.

In the back corner of the room two eyes glowed. They seemed to be smiling at me. It was him. _Kumo Konjou._

-oO0-o)

As soon as I exited the Hokage Mansion's gate I heard running. I looked up just in time to see Temari hug me around the neck, which made me fall over onto my butt. I blinked several times before realizing what had just happened. My face flushed greatly and my heart started to pound. Temari held onto me as if I was going to disappear. She sat up slightly so that I could see her face.

"I'm glad you're okay, Shikamaru." She said smiling. I stared at her slightly speechless. I could feel my face warm up more.

"Uh… yeah." I looked away from her, but I quickly turned my head back when I heard her giggle. She let go of my neck and got up off of me. She held her hand out for me to grab, which I took gladly. She helped me to my feet and smiled again.

"Sorry, I sort of attacked you."

"Yeah you did." I shook my head. "But it's okay." I smiled back at her then scratched my head. "Um…"

"You can head home Shikamaru." Temari and I both looked over at Tsunade-sama. "But know this; you are not to leave the village without me or your sensei knowing about it." I nodded my head to her.

"Yes Hokage-sama." I turned back to Temari and sighed slightly shaking my head. I mumbled under my breath and started to walk home. Temari quickly grabbed my hand and walked next to me. I smiled to myself and looked up to see Gaara and Kankuro heading toward us with Naruto behind them.

"Yo!" Naruto said to me when Temari and I came up to them. I waved to Naruto and noticed he was a bit hyper.

"Are you feeling better?" I looked over at Gaara and nodded to him.

"Apparently I'm A-okay to go."

"That's good to hear."

"Then how about some ramen!" I sighed greatly at Naruto as he pushed me in the direction of the ramen shop. Temari laughed as I grumbled at him. He grinned greatly and waved to Kankuro and Gaara to come as well. Gaara shook his head but Kankuro followed. "Ramen will always make you feel better!"

"Yeah, right suuuuure. You just want some ramen yourself, and I just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." I glared at him as he stopped pushing.

"Hehe, no you're in the right place at the right time!" I hung my head.

"Naruto, you baka." He crossed his arms then pushed me into the ramen shop.

"Oh hey there! You guys come in to have some ramen?" The old man asked us. I already forgot his name. I shook my head and was about to say something when Naruto attacked me from behind. He placed his hand up showing four fingers.

"Four pork ramen please!" Naruto grinned forcing me to sit down. Temari sat next to me while Kankuro sat next to her. Naruto sat himself down and waited for his ramen. I mumbled under my breath and glared at Naruto. He was still grinning then he patted my back. "Oh come on Shikamaru! Ramen will make you feel better!"

"Che, whatever."

-oO0-o)

"Ah, that was good." Naruto said patting his belly as we walked to my house. He looked at me and smiled. "It was good wasn't it Shikamaru?" I glanced at him then shrugged.

"Yeah sure whatever." He made a sour face at me then ran up in front of me. I stopped and watched him.

"Did you just insult Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Eh…"

"NO ONE INSULTS ICHIRAKU RAMEN!" I placed my hands up as I sweat dropped.

"Fine, fine! It's good okay!" He made a face but settled down. I sighed and hung my head. Kankuro and Temari were laughing at us making me feel like killing Naruto. I pushed him out of the way then went into my house.

"Bye guys! Have a good day!" Naruto yelled out before jumping off. Kankuro and Temari followed me in. I walked up to my room too tired to do anything anymore.

"Are you going to bed?" Kankuro asked when I entered my room. I glanced at him then went over to my bed and plopped down on it.

"I just might." I laid down and turned away from them.

"You're so lazy…" I hmphed at him and closed my eyes.

"Let's just let him sleep Kankuro. I bet he's really tired after all that's happened."

"… Yeah, I guess you're right."

_After all that's happened? She must be talking about that incident during when we were swimming. _I clenched my fists and sighed. Sleeping here wasn't going to get much done. I had to make my choice soon and it had better be the right one. I heard them leave the room and shut the door after them. Even though I said sleeping wasn't going to get much done, I really did need some.

-oO0-o)

One week had past, two left before my chance to save Temari and the village were up. And he had been right, I was changing. My eye kept hurting and it wouldn't even change back to normal, though fortunately my dad gave me some kind of patch so other people wouldn't notice. Though…

"Wow, that thing looks really out of the ordinary, Shikamaru." I slapped Kankuro's hand as he tried to mess with the patch over my eye. He glared at me then placed his hands behind his head. "I guess it can't be helped can it?" I pushed him out of the way and started to head outside, but my dad came into the house and stopped in front of me. I glared up at him and crossed my arms.

"Shikamaru, you know that patch doesn't look half b-"

"Would you move?" I interrupted him. He gave me a funny look then shook his head. Grabbing my hand he thrust it open and dropped something it. I blinked then looked into my hand when he let go. Kankuro came over and glanced over my shoulder. He pointed down at the thing in my hand.

"Hey, that kind of looks like the key you gave to Temari, Shikamaru." I looked up at me and nodded slightly. He was right; it did look kind of like the key I gave to Temari. My dad cocked his head slightly.

"Wait… you said you didn't know where the other one went. You mean that you gave it to Temari?" I looked up at him and stared then I turned away.

"Che, I didn't give it to her in the way you're thinking Dad. It was a parting gift when she left um…"

"Three years ago." Kankuro finished for me.

"Yeah three years ago. I gave it to her without knowing what the keys meant." I looked down at the key. "So why are you giving this to me?" My dad smiled at me.

"Keep it, you may find you'll want it." I stared blankly at him then twitched slightly.

"It's a drag, but whatever. I doubt I'll use it." I placed it over my neck and my dad let Kankuro and me pass.

"You never know Shikamaru!" He waved at us as I shut the door. I sighed and placed my hands in my pocket then started walking. Kankuro walked backwards in front of me with his hands still behind his head.

"So what is the necklace for?" I glanced at him then turned away.

"Why do you care to know?"

"Hey, hey I'm just curious and plus I want to know what your dad and you were talking about."

"Che, why don't you ask Temari? She knows."

"What really? Then I guess I-" Kankuro backed up into someone and fell over. I stopped and blinked.

"Oops." Kankuro glared at me and got up to see whom he fell on top of. His eyes widened and he hid behind me when he saw that it was Gaara. Gaara got up slowly and glared slightly at Kankuro. Kankuro gave Gaara a nervous smile and backed up slightly. Gaara stared at him blankly and crossed his arms. I looked between the two brothers then stepped aside so Gaara could deal with Kankuro. Kankuro looked at me then at Gaara. He waved then ran down the street. Gaara rolled his eyes at Kankuro then looked at me.

"Hey." I said waving at him. He nodded to me. "It looks like your brother's scared of you."

"He is, when I'm mad. He knows he can end up in the hospital if he gets me mad." I sweat dropped.

"Is that so…"

"So how are you doing? I noticed that you have to hide your eye."

"Hmm? Oh… that damn eye patch. Che, I'd rather walk around without it. It's annoying to have people staring at me all day." I started to walk and Gaara fell in step with me.

"I see."

"So what are you doing?" I asked looking at him. He stared straight ahead.

"Just walking around." I nodded to him then looked straight ahead. My eyes caught Tsunade-sama in the distance. She was looking toward us and seemed to be nodding to herself then she got distracted by Shizune-sama and jumped off. I glanced at Gaara who was now looking around.

_So, he's someone that's watching me. I wonder if there are others as well…_ I yawned and placed my hands behind my head. _What should I do?_ Before I could decide Kiba and Akamaru came running up nearly knocking me and Gaara over. He smiled sheepishly at us and rubbed the back of his head.

"My bad. Didn't see you two there." Gaara stared blankly at him while I grunted. "So how are … hey Shikamaru, nice patch?" He chuckled slightly to himself making me twitch.

"Yeah know what? I don't care." I took off the patch and threw it on the ground. Kiba blinked at me then his eyes widened.

"Whoa, what happened to your eye? I know something was up, but this is weird." I shrugged and walked around him and Akamaru, Gaara followed me.

"I don't know really, it just started to look like this."

"Really? That's interesting." Kiba got on top of Akamaru and decided to follow us. I shrugged.

"I guess."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it'll go away?"

"I hope it does."

"Can you see out of it?"

"Yes." I twitched slightly.

"Can I see it up close?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer." I stopped and glared at him. He grinned and crossed his arms. "Am I being annoying?"

"You are, now if you would gladly shut the hell up and leave me alone." His grin faded and was replaced with a frown. He shrugged and made Akamaru turn around.

"Fine, see you later then!" I sighed relief and started to walk again. Gaara watched me silently and still walked with me.

_Che, I guess he isn't going to leave my side. I wonder if I could distract him so I could be by myself._ I looked around slightly to see if there was a way to distract Gaara, which there probably wasn't. I kept walking thinking about it, but nothing came to. I had many ideas to how I could, but I had a feeling those wouldn't work well. I sighed and shook my head.

As we walked around a corner Neji suddenly came up to us. He stopped in front of Gaara and started talking to him. I watched them for a second then I walked off saying I had something to do. I could tell that Gaara wanted to follow, but it would be rude to walk away when someone's talking to you. I silently thanked Neji and ran down the street.

I looked around for a good place to sit and watch the clouds. I could go to my regular place that I watched clouds, but I had a feeling Gaara could find me there. I glanced up and saw a worn out building at the end of the street. It looked like a good place to hide and had a good view of the clouds. I nodded to myself then jumped onto one of the houses and ran over to the building. When I got there I looked around to make sure it was deserted. I sat down when I concluded that there was no one else here.

I stared out a broken window and watched the clouds above. The clouds helped me think and they were interesting to look at, that's why I watched clouds so much. I could relax when watching the clouds and put my mind at ease.

I was about to fall asleep when I heard someone approach. _Did Gaara find me already? _I groaned slightly, I opened my eyes to look and was surprised to see who it was. It was Temari. She blinked at me probably surprised as much as I was then she sat down in front of me and waved. I sat up straight and waved back. We both sat in silence for a minute then,

"So, what are you doing here?" We both asked at the same time, which made us laugh. I shook my head and gestured to her, but she shook her head right back.

"Fine, I'm here to get away from your creepy little brother and watch the clouds." She giggled slightly.

"Gaara can be creepy sometimes."

"So what are you doing here?" She looked at me then up at the sky.

"Remembering a past memory." I blinked at her then stared.

_Remembering a past memory? What would …_ My eyes widened when I myself remembered. I had had this remembrance a while back. "This is the place we first met, isn't it?" She looked at me and nodded.

"Yes, I remember how you came running into my hiding place. You were trying to get away from Iruka-sensei." I smiled at her and looked at the sky.

"Yeah, that was fun. After that Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and I played at the park." I closed my eyes remembering that moment. "So why were you hiding?" I asked her without opening my eyes.

"Hmm? Oh, because I didn't want to go to school here. I was hiding from my sensei in hopes that he would give up on forcing me to go. But…" I opened my eyes and looked at her. "I'm glad that I went." She smiled warmly at me making my heart flutter. I smiled awkwardly back at her making her laugh.

"Yeah me too." I looked back up at the sky and continued to smile.

"Hey Shikamaru…"

"Hmm…"

"What's the necklace you have on?" I looked at her as she came up in front of me to look. I glanced down at my necklace then held it up.

"It's um… the second part to the necklace you're wearing." She blinked then grabbed her own. She stared at hers for a second then looked back at mine.

"Yours is kind of odd looking." She said as she touched it. I nodded to her.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be that way. Do you remember when I told you what the keys were for?" She blinked at me then looked away blushing.

"Yes, you're supposed to give one of the keys to the one you were marrying."

"Right, but just giving someone that key doesn't mean they accepted." She looked back at me.

"What do you mean?"

"In order for them to say that they accepted the proposal they have to place their key into the other one." I lifted my key up to her face. "You see that there's a keyhole lock here? Your key goes into it if you had said 'yes' to the proposal. But since there was no proposal then there's no real reason for you to do that." I let me key drop and hang back on my neck.

"Oh I see…" Temari stared at my key then held the one in her hands tightly. "Hehe, that's cute. So how are you going to get married?" I blinked then blushed.

"Who says I'm thinking about that?" She giggled at me.

"Cause you told me to keep this and I'm guessing it's a tradition to get married through the keys. So I'm asking how you'll get married if you aren't giving this to the one you're going to marry."

"I-I don't know! I don't want to think about, it's a drag to even think about marriage." I turned away from her as my face warmed up even more. _Damn annoying woman._ She giggled more at me then sat up straight.

"You're so silly Shikamaru." I hmphed at her and still wouldn't face her. She leaned in suddenly and kissed my cheek softly making me face her quickly. "But that's one of the reasons I like being around you." I touched my cheek gently and stared at her. My face flushed up more then I smiled slightly.

"You strange woman."

"Hehe." She got up and waved to me. "I think I'll go, so see you later tonight Shikamaru." I nodded to her as she jumped off. I sighed and leaned back against the wall.

My decision to what to do about Kumo Konjou's proposal was decided.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara**_

Neji Hyuuga had come up running to me while I had been with Shikamaru. He had asked me if I could meet with him later tonight. I had said yes and that's when I had lost sight of Shikamaru. Neji Hyuuga immediately apologized and had forgotten that it was my turn to watch Shikamaru. I had nodded to him and told him it was fine.

That had happened seven hours ago. It was now midnight and I was on my way over to where Neji Hyuuga had asked me to meet him. When I saw him he nodded to me and sat down on the edge of the building we were on. I sat down next to him.

"Gaara, has anything gotten worse with Shikamaru, besides the condition of his eye?" I looked at him blankly then shook my head.

"Nothing yet, I have not seen any changes besides his eye getting a bit more serious, but he may be hiding something."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Before you came up to me earlier Shikamaru seemed like he wanted to get away. He might already know that we are supposed to watch him." He nodded to me.

"So you're saying that he might try to get out of our surveillance and try and do something?"

"Yes."

"I do hope you're wrong." I nodded slightly.

"I do as well…" I blinked and looked down at the street. _Is that Shikamaru?_ I thought to myself then I looked at Neji Hyuuga. "Can you use Byakugan?" He blinked at me.

"Sure, but what am I looking for?" I pointed toward to the last place I saw Shikamaru.

"Look over there for a person. I thought I might have seen Shikamaru." He nodded to me then looked in the direction I was pointing.

"_Byakugan!"_ His eyes scanned the area then widened. "It is Shikamaru; he's heading toward the Hokage Mansion doing what though I am unsure." He looked at me then grunted. "Your thinking that he might be doing something might actually be right. Let's go see what he's up to, but let's not confront him." He stood up and waited for me to stand. I nodded to him and we both took off toward Shikamaru.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I quickly and quietly ran to the Hokage Mansion and headed to the top of it as Kumo Konjou had instructed me to do, and I had also brought my supplies for a long trip. I had a feeling I would need to.

As I ran I looked around to make sure no one was following. Unfortunately, Gaara had left a bit earlier than me, to do what I'm not sure. Hopefully he was nowhere near the Hokage Mansion.

When I got to the top I kneeled down on one knee and looked around again.

_No one in sight, I don't sense anyone either. Good. Alright then let's do this._ I closed my eyes and placed my hands in a circle in front of me. Then I stood up and breathed in and out. "Kumo Konjou." I hoped even saying his name out loud would get him to come. I opened my eyes and stood there waiting. Nothing happened, but when I was about to leave a gust of strong wind blew at me pushing me back slightly. I looked around then my attention was focused at the ground.

The shadows that were about because of the moon's light started to form. A shape, like a human, formed in front of me. I thought that it was going to be the shadow like me again, but I was wrong. My eyes widened when, after it took a full human shape, shadowy spider arms popped out of its back. I took a step back; it had about sixteen arms now. Its head came up slowly then the eyes opened up quickly, they were purplish/green and very bug-like. They were like my left eye.

"**I'm glad you came, Shikamaru."** It was him, Kumo Konjou. I nodded to him and stood there not knowing what to do. **"Heh, still scared of me? That's alright; anyone would be scared of me if I came up to them looking like this. Have you made your decision?" **I nodded to him. **"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. So what is your decision?" **He asked grinning then walked over next to me. Turning around he looked out toward the village. I glanced at him then looked at the ground.

"I'll go to you." He looked at me and smiled creepily making my spine shiver.

"**Good and I see that you have packed for this trip. Excellent, you indeed are intelligent Shikamaru, you expected me to make you leave immediately. Now here's what I want you to do."** He leaned in close to my ear and whispered. **"I'm going to release the spider that your friends captured, his name is Clash. Take care of him until he can return to his master that is going to meet up with you soon. I want you to make sure your friends follow you." **My eyes widened and I looked at him, he grinned at me. **"Yes, your friends are already watching us. That would be Gaara and Neji Hyuuga. Just make sure that they don't capture you on your way out of the village."** He stepped back and looked around.

"How are you going to get… um... Clash out?" He grinned at me again.

"**Watch and learn."** His eyes closed then the shadows around him dispersed and went through the building. I watched for a minute then looked at him when nothing happened. He nodded behind him, so I walked over to the edge. After about a minute a loud crash was heard and a spider came flying out of the Hokage's office window. The spider shot out a web, which attached to the side of the mansion. It flew up into the air then landed on my shoulder. I twitched and fell over and stared at it. **"Hehehe, Shikamaru that's Clash; use him, he'll protect you no matter what happens. Now go."** Clash squeaked at me then I got up and nodded to Kumo Konjou.

"Yes… Kumo Konjou… Um one more thing, who is this person that is meeting up with me, and where exactly am I heading?"

"**Hmm? I'm sending her out now, she is my loyal subordinate. And you'll be heading toward Suna. Go in that general direction. You'll meet up with my subordinate around that area or so, she'll lead you the rest of the way."** I nodded to him then approached the side of building. I looked down then back to him. He nodded to me then vanished, which immediately after that I heard footsteps behind me.

_Shit, Neji and Gaara. _Without thinking anymore I jumped off the building. Clash wrapped his legs around me then shot out web that attached to a building. We swung around then touched the ground. Immediately I started to run toward the Main Gates. It was going to be hard to get out of here.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara**_

The shadowing person, that we found out to be Kumo Konjou, vanished from sight and that's when we got up and ran toward Shikamaru but we were too late. He jumped off the building before we could reach him. We came to the edge and looked down, the spider that was upon his back had shot out a web. The web had attached to the side of a building making Shikamaru and the spider land safely on the ground. Shikamaru started running toward the Main Gates. I clenched my fist and looked at Neji Hyuuga.

"I'll go after him from here, get Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki after you tell the Hokage-sama about what has happened, also tell her we might need reinforcements if he's meeting up with someone. We know where he's headed, so I'll try and stop him at the Main Gates." We both nodded the Neji Hyuuga ran off to tell Hokage-sama. I summoned up some sand and jumped onto it. Floating down to the ground I quickly ran after Shikamaru. _I hope this comes to a quick end._ I cursed to myself when realized this might be hard without my gourd. _Be quick Neji Hyuuga._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I was coming up to the Main Gates when I suddenly heard voices. I jumped into a tree and leaned against it listening.

"So what are we doing out here?"

"Just taking a walk." Shit, Temari and Kankuro. When did they wake up? This is going to be really difficult to leave now. I looked around for a way to get past them, none.

"Hey Temari, I'll be right back I need to well… take a leak."

"Kankuro! Get out of here then!" I heard running off. I closed my eyes to think.

_There was one person here now, it was Temari. I could knock her out and get by, but I don't think I could go through with it. Then there was Kankuro to consider, he as he had said he was doing was taking a leak, but he might be back quickly. I don't have an idea about how I was going to get out. That wall is really hard to jump over and running up it will give Gaara and Neji enough time to catch me. So what am I supposed to… Shit! That stupid spider!_ Clash had gotten off my shoulder and was now approaching Temari. I jumped down and ran through the trees as quickly and quietly as I could. I had to get that spider before Temari saw it.

I was about to run out and get it when Temari noticed it. I stopped and hid behind a tree and watched. She blinked for a minute then moved toward him, but stopped immediately when she saw what it was. Her eyes widened and she step back, Clash still approached her.

_Dammit! I don't have time for this!_ I ran out of my hiding place and toward Temari. Quickly I grabbed her from behind, with one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist, and dragged her into the shadows. She struggled in my arms and tried to break free. I pulled her close to me and whispered in her ear.

"Temari, calm down it's me." She stopped immediately when she heard me. I slowly let go of her mouth and turned her to face me.

"Shikamaru…? What… what are you doing here?" I placed a finger to my mouth to indicate for her to be quiet.

"That's not for you to know." She frowned at me.

"What do you mean by that?" I was about to answer when Clash came up and jumped on my shoulder. Temari's eyes widened and she was about to scream out; I clamped my hand over her mouth quickly. She glanced between Clash and me with scared eyes.

"Please Temari, be quiet. And calm down okay? Clash here isn't going to hurt you." Bad thing to say. She tore my hand off and pushed away from me.

"Clash! So wait, this spider thing is with you? What's going on Shikamaru? Why are you with this spider thing? Why are you packed up like you're going on a missi… on…" Her eyes widened and she stepped back again. "No… you… you're not…" I looked away from her then turned away. I needed to leave. I was about to walk away when Temari suddenly grabbed me from behind. I turned my head around and looked down at her, she was crying. "Shikamaru!"

"Temari… I… I have to go." She shook her head.

"No you don't! You don't have to go!" I forced her off of me then I turned around and grabbed her shoulders. She tried to shake me off but I wouldn't let go. "Why… why do you have to…" She leaned forward and started to cry heavily in my chest. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. I couldn't stand to see her cry like this it was so painful. I sighed and grabbed her chin and pulled it up so I could look in her eyes. She stared back then tried to look away but couldn't.

"Temari… I'm going… I'm going so I can save you." And before she could answer I grabbed the back of her head and pulled it forward. Our mouths connected making us kiss.

I closed my eyes slowly as I tenderly kissed Temari whom relaxed. My mind drifted to something Gaara had asked me.

"_**Shikamaru, do you love Temari?"**_ I knew the answer to that question, and that answer was yes, I do love Temari. I pulled away from her and looked at her in the eyes then I jumped up. She fell to her knees staring up at me. I looked away from her stare then was suddenly yanked to the left.

I looked to my left to see that Clash had shot his web out to the side of the Main Gates wall. Quickly he lifted me to the top of the wall and just in time too. Gaara came running up to the Main Gates. I stared down at him as he yelled out my name then I turned away and jumped off pulling a mask, that I had brought with me, over my mouth. Clash caught me with his web and after that I ran toward Suna leaving Konoha behind me.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I'm sorry if this chapter kind of sounded like a rip off of when Sasuke left Konoha. (Or if anything else sounds like that too). I seriously didn't mean it to end up like that, it just did. The idea for the story is there, but when I'm writing the inner details, it just comes out directly from my mind right then and there.


	9. Ritual of Time

As usually, please enjoy!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

I fell to my knees as I watched Shikamaru jump into the air and be flung violently to the right. I looked behind me to see Gaara, Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke running up to the gate, looking up and yelling out Shikamaru's name. I glanced up to see if they were looking at Shikamaru, but he was already gone. I got up and headed toward Gaara who was now talking to the others. When I reached Gaara I dropped to my knees behind him and started to cry again. He immediately turned around and knelt down next to me.

"Temari? What happened?" He asked me gently. I looked up and around at the others then stopped at Gaara.

"Shikamaru's… gone… isn't he?" I asked through choked tears. He stared at me then hung his head slightly, a small "yes" followed. I closed my eyes hoping this had all been just a bad dream, but I knew it wasn't.

"Uh, what's going on?" We all turned around to see Kankuro staring at us with a confused expression on his face. Gaara stood up and faced him, which made him flinch. "Um…?"

"Kankuro, Temari, Sasuke Uchiha, go tell Hokage-sama the situation and also tell her that she should send all Genin Teams after Shikamaru. If she agrees to this then assemble at the front gate with proper gear for the mission. When you're ready and organized follow after us. Now let's go to Shikamaru's house to get our things." We nodded, Gaara helped me to my feet, and we ran toward Shikamaru's house.

When we arrived we quickly grabbed our things and headed out. Just before Gaara, Neji, and Naruto were about to head out I grabbed Gaara's arm.

"Wait Gaara!" He looked at me with a questioning expression. "Let me come with you!"

"No Temari."

"But-"

"Temari, please." He said as he started to walk away. I let go of his arm and watched him jump off with Neji and Naruto.

"Come on Temari." Kankuro grabbed my arm and started to pull me along. I took one more look down the road then willingly followed Kankuro and Sasuke.

-oO0-o)

"What? He's gone? I thought Neji told me he'd stop him at the gates!" Sasuke flinched and remained silent as Tsunade-sama clenched her fists. She nodded to Sasuke to continue. When he was done she stood up, making us stand at attention.

"This is a S-Rank mission for the four Genin teams and the Sand team: Find Shikamaru Nara and bring him back before he reaches his destination. Sasuke, explain to everyone the situation about Kumo Konjou before you leave." Sasuke nodded to her. "Now go!" We bowed then ran out of the Hokage's office and headed toward the front. When we arrived Sasuke stood in front of Kankuro and me.

"Alright, I'm going to guess this isn't going to go down well, so when you go to wake the others tell them to bring whatever they can. That means shuriken, kunai, explosive notes, food, anything. Now Temari, go get Hinata, Tenten, and Ino. Kankuro, you go get Kiba and Shino. I'll get Choji, Lee, and Sakura." We nodded to him then jumped off in different directions.

An hour later we were all at the Main Gates prepared to go. Sasuke was checking to see what supplies everyone had. He turned to us and nodded. We got into formation and looked back at him.

"This is the situation everyone. Shikamaru Nara has left Konoha against his own will." _Against his own will? That doesn't seem right, but I think I know why Sasuke's saying that._ "A spirit known as Kumo Konjou has convinced him to head toward the swamps. We are to follow after Gaara, Naruto, and Neji to try and bring Shikamaru back. This is a S-Rank mission so be prepared for anything." Everyone nodded to him and looked toward the Main Gates as they opened. "Oh one more thing, with Shikamaru is a dangerous spider, so be extra careful. Alright let's move out!" Sasuke turned around and ran, we all followed quickly after him.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I flew through the trees at a speed that wouldn't tire me fast. I had a feeling that Gaara and the others were behind, and if they caught up I knew I would have to fight them. I didn't know exactly how far I could go before I got caught. I reached into my shuriken pouch to determine how much gear I had… twenty shuriken, twelve kunai, three explosive notes, and a roll of trap string; not enough to slow the others down.

Clash nudged my neck, interrupting my thoughts. He pointed downward indicating for me to stop. I jumped down and looked at him curiously. He hopped off my shoulder and faced me closing his sixteen eyes. I crossed my arms, confused about what he was doing. Sudden gurgling noises made me jump back. His mouth opened wide and a book slowly came out. I stared down at the slime-covered book and almost puked. Clash shook himself then began licking the slime off the book. I turned around disgusted about the whole thing. About a minute later he squeaked making me turn around. He had finished cleaning the book up and was now pushing it toward me. I sighed picking it up to examine it.

My eyes widened. It read _Myths of Kumo Konjou_. It was the book I had found in the old library. I opened it up and scanned through it then placed it in my bag. Clash hopped back onto my shoulder and looked forward. I nodded and jumped back into the trees resuming my course. I picked up my pace to make up for the time wasted here. I knew for sure that Gaara and the others would catch up.

-oO0-o)

Dawn, it was approaching fast and I was still in the forest, but I knew that the Suna desert was getting closer; just a couple of more hours till I reached it. My pace had slowed down dramatically because of Clash and my fear of being caught. Gaara and the others would probably catch me before I even got to the desert.

I dropped down out of the trees and leaned against one. I breathed in and out slowly to regain my breath. I would have to rest somewhere soon, but with Gaara and the others on my tail rest was the last thing I could do. I nodded to Clash then jumped back into the trees and resumed again.

Around noon I finally stopped and looked across the desert; I'd finally made it without being captured. Now time to cross…

"Shikamaru!" Sand suddenly flew in front of me blocking my path, which made Clash hiss violently. I turned around and grimaced at whom I saw. It was Gaara, Naruto, and Neji. They had finally caught up with me. I took a step backwards, but stopped realizing the sand was still behind me. Gaara stared at me with a blank expression, Naruto seemed upset, and Neji looked concerned.

"Shikamaru, I think it's time to come back…" I looked at Neji and gave no response, Clash on the other hand hopped off of me and hissed at him making him take a step back. He closed his eyes then got into his Hyuuga style stance. I sighed knowing that we were going to fight. I pulled out a kunai and waited.

Everyone was silent and nobody moved then Gaara's sand flew toward me. My eyes widened when I realized I couldn't dodge it.

"_Strangles of Web!"_ Web suddenly flew out and pushed the sand back toward Gaara making him jump into the air. A kunoichi landed next to me and shot out another blast of webs. Neji and Naruto both jumped to dodge the attack. Clash jumped off of me and onto the kunoichi's shoulder. He seemed happy to see her. I blinked when she was done attacking. I examined her more closely.

She had a strange purplish/green hair that reached probably down to her knees. Hair covered the right half of her face. Her forehead protector was around her neck, though I couldn't tell what the symbol was. When she turned toward me I gasped and noticed that her eyes looked exactly like my left eye… purplish/green and bug-like, but unlike me she had it in both eyes.

"Shikamaru-sama, are you alright?" The kunoichi asked me. I blinked then nodded slightly.

"I… I'm-" Sand flew in our direction and the kunoichi quickly grabbed me and jumped into the air.

"_Strangles of Web!"_ She repeated again and web came out of her hands and stopped the sand. We landed a little bit away from Gaara, Naruto, and Neji. They looked at us confused slightly, but they definitely weren't going to back down.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked getting upset. The kunoichi gasped slightly then bowed. I blinked and stared at her confused at her behavior.

"I am Alysa of the Swamps. I am Shikamaru-sama's guidance to the Kumo Konjou. And you will not take him back without going through me." Clash hissed in agreement and glared at them. Alysa whispered to Clash whom jumped onto my shoulder. She then walked up to Gaara, Naruto, and Neji. They stood up straight and got into a defense position. I watched as Alysa stopped about twenty feet from them, which made them on edge.

Nothing happened, no one would move either. I gulped afraid of what was going to happen then Alysa stared at Naruto. She looked up to the sky then placed her hands together as if forming a seal. I noticed that it looked like the seal for the Shadow Clone Technique.

"_Shadow Clone Jutsu!"_ Suddenly there were three Alysa's standing in front of them. Naruto's eyes widened and he was about to do the same thing when Alysa placed up her hand making him stop. One of her shadow clones looked at Neji, while the other one looked at Gaara. She stood still for a moment then the one looking at Neji took up Neji's Hyuuga style stance. Our eyes widened when we noticed that she had taken up that stance perfectly, mimicking Neji's stance exact stance. Everyone was confused, but did not falter from that. "Let us fight."

The shadow clone that was mimicking Neji charged forward and shoved her hand out toward Neji. His eyes widened and he jumped back just in time from being hit. The other two shadow clones attack Naruto and Gaara. The one facing Naruto used the Shadow Clone Jutsu again forcing Naruto to do the same. They collided into each other doing the same exact fighting style. Neji's battle was doing the same idea, only it seemed like two Hyuuga were fighting each other. Gaara's battle on the other hand was the most interesting.

This shadow clone of Alysa was shooting sand toward Gaara. She was using the same kind of attacks Gaara uses with his sand. This caught Gaara completely off guard, but even if he was surprise the sand still didn't penetrate through his defense. I stared in disbelief as they all fought, but suddenly my left eye started to hurt greatly forcing me to cry out in pain and grab at it. Alysa noticed this and jumped back away from the three. She landed next to me then shot a huge amount of sand at them. She grabbed a hold of me, but before she ran toward the desert I torn off my necklace and threw it in the direction of Neji.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara**_

A huge amount of sand came flying towards us; I quickly placed up a sand shield to protect us from the blast. After about a minute it stopped and I took down the sand. The kunoichi and Shikamaru were gone, probably ran off towards the desert. I sighed and closed my eyes as my sand flowed back into my gourd. Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga came up next to me exhausted.

"D… did you see that? She had… the same attacks as us…" Naruto Uzumaki sat on the ground and stared toward the desert. "How… is that possible?"

"As far as I know, it's not possible." Neji Hyuuga answered him.

"It's possible." They both turned toward me with questioning looks in their eyes. I opened my eyes and looked at them. "It's possible if that is her kekkei genkai." Their eyes widened then looked at the ground.

"I see…" Neji Hyuuga sighed greatly, while Naruto Uzumaki remained silent. "That's an interesting kekkei genkai… what do you suppose it does exactly?"

"… From what I observed, her eyes had changed from that bug-like feature to the eyes that we have. She must be able to take a shinobi's jutsu and attack abilities and use them."

"But how can that be possible? Kekkei genkai, such as mine, are only for my clan. It is impossible for another to have it." I shook my head slowly not understanding it myself fully.

"I do not know, I can only tell you what I have observed…" Neji Hyuuga sighed again then looked ahead of him. He got up and picked up something off the ground.

"Gaara, Naruto it's Shikamaru's necklace… he must have thrown it at us." Naruto Uzumaki and I walked up next to Neji Hyuuga and looked.

"Why would he do that?" Naruto Uzumaki asked.

"He must want us to follow him."

"Huh? Why would he want that when he was running away?" Neji Hyuuga and I looked at each other. Naruto Uzumaki looked between us confused. "Hey, hey what do you know?"

"It's a theory, but I believe that Kumo Konjou wished for us to follow him. It is most likely a trap, but we have to follow him in order to get him back." They both nodded to me then quickly they got up and turned around. I looked behind me to see Temari and the others coming.

"Gaara!" Temari shouted as she came up to me. "Are you alright?" I nodded my head and looked around. Sakura Haruno went up to Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke Uchiha came up to them and watched. I glanced at Temari to see her looking around. I knew who she was looking for.

"Temari… he's gone." She looked at me as sadness filled her eyes.

"You couldn't stop him?" Sasuke Uchiha asked me coming up.

"No, we did manage to catch up with him, but a kunoichi came out of nowhere and fought us off. She left with him immediately after." Sasuke Uchiha's eyes widened.

"Just one?" I nodded to him. "How did she manage that against you three?"

"Using her kekkei genkai." Neji Hyuuga answered coming up. "It's a theory we concluded. We believe that her kekkei genkai has the ability to copy techniques and use them as if she was one of us, but how that is possible we are unsure." Sasuke Uchiha nodded slowly understanding.

"So where did they head off to?"

"Toward the desert. Hey Kiba, come over here for a minute." Neji Hyuuga held up the necklace making Temari gasp slightly.

"That's…!"

"Yes it is… he threw it at us before leaving." Kiba Inuzuka came up next to Neji Hyuuga with Akamaru at his side. "Kiba, have Akamaru sniff this for Shikamaru's scent." Kiba Inuzuka twitched at Neji Hyuuga looking upset at being ordered around, but he knew better since this was an important mission. He told Akamaru to do what Neji Hyuuga wanted. I looked at Temari, she seemed sad but determined. Akamaru barked at Kiba Inuzuka who got on top of him.

"He's got the scent!" I nodded to him and stood on his right side. Temari and Kankuro did the same, but went to the left side. I turned my head to everyone behind us.

"Before we head out, I need to inform you that the kunoichi with Shikamaru is not to be underestimated. She has the ability to takes us all down at once. Remain close to us, the crossing is going to be a dangerous trip." Everyone was silent, scared of what was coming. I didn't blame them, this was considered a S-Rank mission, missions that Jounin and ANBU are usually supposed to do.

Akamaru howled out and ran forward, I sighed and signaled for everyone else to follow. Temari, Kankuro, and I ran after with Akamaru in the lead.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

"Temari…Temari…Temari!" I bolted up sweating and breathing hard. "Where… wah?"

"It is alright Shikamaru-sama." I looked over to see Alysa sitting next to me.

"Where… are we?"

"Hiding at the moment. A sandstorm started to brew so I had to stop." She reached over and touched my left cheek making me wince in pain. "The Gensuto is spreading."

"The what?"

"The Gensuto, the mark of the sixteen-legged spider. It indicates when a person or subject is close to having perfect condition for transfer." Her eyes became sad as if she was worried about it spreading. This made me more confused than I already was. I stared at her, which she noticed. She smiled at me getting rid of the sadness in her eyes.

"Rest Shikamaru-sama, you'll need it. We have a long trip ahead of us." I nodded and laid back down relieved to be able to finally rest. "Sleep well Shikamaru-sama."

-oO0-o)

"Please do not lag behind, Shikamaru-sama!" I grumbled under my breath picking up my pace. We were moving much faster than I had been before. I watched Alysa as she moved swiftly without tiring.

_She has insane amount of stamina._ I thought as I was looking up at the sky trying to determine how much time had past since encountering Gaara. By the position of the sun about seven hours had past. We took four hours to rest and three to travel, and it was now around four in the afternoon. I had no idea how many hours it would take to get to the swamps. I sighed and tried to think of something else. My mind drifted to the night I left… meeting Kumo Konjou, running from Gaara and Neji, the kiss…

My heart stopped when I remembered the kiss with Temari. I could still taste her lips in my mouth regardless of how much sand I already had in it. It had been such a tender kiss that I wished it hadn't ended so quickly, her lips being so soft and sweet…

I gasped when I realized how much my heart ached to have Temari with me now. I glanced behind myself hoping to see her there; she wasn't. I bit my lip regretting my decision to leave, yet at the same time I felt a strange excitement come over me about going to the swamps. Was this excitement mine? Or was it someone else's? I started to worry, unsure what I should do. I looked at Alysa and dared to ask her questions.

"Alysa… what's going to happen when we arrive at the swamps?" She glanced back at me then looked forward.

"… We will head toward Kumo Konjou's temple and await for his instructions of what he wishes from you." I nodded slightly afraid of what he really wanted, I also noticed the slight hesitation she had before talking but I continued anyway.

"How much longer?"

"Not too long, we will be there an hour or two after sunset." That was just about three to four hours from now.

"Okay…" I sighed and mumbled under my breath. My mind kept thinking, what if this was wrong? What if doing this will hurt the one thing I care about the most… Temari?

-oO0-o)

"Hooowl!" I looked behind myself. Akamaru had picked up my scent again.

"They are getting closer, but do not worry we are here." I turned toward the front and stopped in my tracks when I saw it, the swamps. It looked exactly like the one in my dream, had the creepy sensation about it too.

"How… are we going to get through this?"

"Easy…" She bit her finger then made the seal for the Summoning Technique. _"Summoning Jutsu!" _I stared in disbelief at the creature that was summoned, an enormous spider.

"Don't tell me… we're riding that…" Alysa grabbed my arm and jumped up onto it. Clash hopped onto my shoulder and shot web around my waist and attached it to the spider's waist.

"Hold on Shikamaru-sama." Hold onto what? The spider started to move making me fall over, but fortunately the web that was around my waist kept me on the spider. It was very uncomfortable though. "We will be there shortly…"

"… Right…" I stared down at the swampy ground then glanced at Alysa. "Alysa… why does Kumo Konjou want my friends to follow?" She didn't look at me but hesitated quite a bit.

"He… he well… I… Shikamaru-sama I am sorry, I am unable to really tell you." I looked at her confused.

"Unable… to tell me?"

"He… holds me back from telling you…" She looked at me and whispered gently. "I want to tell you everything, but I can't till we get to the temple so you must listen to me closely." I nodded to her not sure exactly what was going on. The spider continued through the swampy land with ease. I looked back down at the ground. My decision to come here was definitely the wrong choice.

-oO0-o)

We climbed up the steps leading to temple entrance. I was about to enter, but Alysa grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Shikamaru-sama, I must tell you what is going on before he finds out!" I stared at her then stood up straight giving her my full attention. "What will take place inside of this temple will change your life dramatically, you may even die." My eyes widened I took a step back.

"Alysa, what is going to take place…?"

"There is something called The Ritual of Time: The Awakening of Chrono, or time. It is a ceremony that affects the Time Continuum, the sequence of time. It uses darkness as a root to send a person either to the past, future, or to a parallel universe. Kumo Konjou wishes to send you and your friends to a parallel universe where-" She suddenly stopped and held her neck, I took this chance to grab her shoulders.

"You mean to tell me he's sending us to another world?" She nodded then looked to her left, I did so as well to see that Temari and everyone else was standing there watching us. I let go of Alysa and stared at them with a blank expression.

"Shikamaru…" Temari said looking at me with the same blank expression I had. She took a step toward us but stopped and looked down at in front of Alysa and me. I looked down as well, my eyes widened at what I saw.

Darkness was seeping around us, it suddenly wrapped around me covering my body completely. My mouth was covered making me unable to yell for help.

Temari and Gaara ran forward to help but Alysa shook her head.

"Don't come over here! Please!" She was struggling with the same darkness I was. "Clash, tell them what's going on! Tell them how to-" Darkness covered her mouth quickly.

"**How dare you disobey me Alysa! I think it's time we started don't you?"** My eyes widened, Kumo Konjou! I struggled harder, but the darkness gripped around us and pulled us into the temple.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"Shikamaru!" I ran forward but that spider got in my way. Gaara grabbed onto me to stop me from running into the temple. "Gaara let go off me!" I struggled in his grip, but obviously he wasn't going to let me go.

"_Please calm down, Temari-sama!"_ I stopped suddenly and looked around. A voice had just come into my mind from nowhere. _"Do not be alarmed, Temari-sama. The one speaking to you is I, Clash the spider below."_ I looked down at the spider and it waved at me. I stared at it eyes widening.

"Y… You've got to be kidding me…" Gaara let go of me and looked at me strangely.

"Temari?"

"_I have alarmed her."_ Gaara's eyes widened and behind her everyone gasped. I looked behind then at the spider. _"Yes I am speaking to everyone's minds. Please you must listen to me, Kumo Konjou-sama has captured Alysa-sama and Shikamaru-sama. A ritual is going to be held shortly, which will send them to a parallel universe. If we are to save them we must do it now." _Everyone remained silent then I moved forward and knelt down in front of Clash.

"You'll help us?" He nodded to me. "Then help us get in." He hopped onto my shoulders and pointed toward the darkness that was covering the entrance to the temple.

"_Walk next to it. I will wrap you in web and take you inside."_ I gulped and approached the entrance.

"Temari…" I glanced back at Gaara.

"I'll be fine." I walked up to the darkness and stared at it, slowly I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms over my chest. "I'm ready." Web started to cover my body until it completely engulfed me. I remained as calm as I could, but that calmness left me when I was suddenly flung forward.

"TEMARI!" I heard Gaara and Kankuro yell before all went silent and dark.

-oO0-o)

"_Temari-sama, you may open your eyes now."_ I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, but I couldn't see anything; it was pitch black and my vision was somewhat blurry. _"Your vision will get used to the darkness."_ He was right. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, I could see my surroundings vaguely. It looked like an old worn down hallway, but with vines and moss growing all along the walls.

"What do you want me to do?" Clash jumped onto my shoulder and pointed at a wall.

"_Move your hand across the wall's surface, there should be some kind of switch." _I nodded and walked up to it placing my hand on it. It was kind of moist and soft, slightly icky, but I moved my hand across until I felt something. I pressed my hand into it and sudden moonlight came in.

"Temari! You're alright!" Kankuro came up to me and looked relieved. Gaara and the others looked him from behind him.

"_Byakugan!"_ I looked over at Neji as he scanned the area, he grew alarmed and looked toward Gaara. "There are multiple spider creatures approaching our position."

"_This way!"_ Clash turned me toward the hall and pointed down it. I nodded and started to run.

"Temari!… Ugh…" Many footsteps followed after me. I looked around and turned down corridors blindly. I had no idea where exactly where I was going, the only person that did know was Clash. I still didn't trust him, but at the moment we didn't have a choice.

"Where are we going?" Someone asked.

"_To the Ritual Chamber."_

"Oh joy, that sounds like so much fun." I turned down another corridor then stopped. Kankuro and Gaara ran into me by accident, which forced everyone else to crash into each other. A few "ow's" and "groans" echoed off the walls, while I struggled to get my brothers off of me.

"Get off of me you two! You're both heavy!"

"Ah! So-sorry Temari!" Kankuro and Gaara quickly got off then helped me to my feet. Everyone else was getting up as well.

"Okay why did you stop?"

"I heard something." I growled.

"_It's chanting, the rituals beginning! We need to-"_ The ground underneath us opened up and we slid down it terrified, some of us screaming. We dropped violently onto the ground groaning yet again in pain.

"What the hell… happened."

"Oh no!" I looked up and saw Shikamaru and the kunoichi in the middle of the room. The seemed to be in pain and looked unable to move. "You have to leave!" The kunoichi begged us. I stood up and wobbled slightly. I was about to move over to where Shikamaru was when Tenten suddenly screamed out and was thrown against the wall. Lee ran toward her, but he too was thrown against the wall. Everyone in the room was now being thrown. When I was thrown against the wall I screamed out in pain.

"Dammit! Kumo Konjou stop this!" Shikamaru yelled out.

"**Giving me commands are you? Hehe, I hope you all enjoy the next world! Chant the song dear Alysa… **_**chant the song.**_**"** I tried to move, but doing that caused intense pain to erupt through my body. The kunoichi's body went limp then her head flew up as if it was being pulled back.

"Awaken Child of Time

Take control of this place

Cast down your power

Let your anger erupt

Use your power of Darkness

To disrupt this time

And send us to another!"

The chanting stopped and bright light appeared blinding us all. Sudden pain erupted through my body again forcing us to scream out in pain. Then all went silent, the light shown brighter then flashed. In an instant we had all vanished from the room.

"**Enjoy your journey… Shikamaru Nara…"**


	10. Across Time

Hopefully this chapter doesn't get confusing for some people. Well please enjoy, and if you didn't understand this chapter you are free to email me and ask. Hopefully you won't need to. (Email is on userpage.)

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru, Time: Unknown, Place: Unknown**_

I felt a warm, wet tongue lick across my face.

"Akamaru… stop… it…" I muttered, groggy. Again a tongue licked my face. I pushed it away from me with my hand only to have it be bitten. "OWCH!" I sat up straight and glared at Akamaru who let go and whimpered at me. Sudden pain surged through my head making me fall back over onto the ground. The throbbing continued for about a minute then died down. Akamaru helped me sit up again. I looked around at my surroundings and widened my eyes.

"Where the hell is this?" It was a barren land with nothing but snow. There was a fog of snow so I couldn't exactly see if I was in the middle of nowhere or not. "This sure isn't the temple or the swamps… Man what happened…" Akamaru whimpered again, which made me look at him.

"Aarooh…" I sighed and shook my head.

"I don't know, but you're right it's really cold." I stood up with the help of Akamaru then slowly I got on top of him. "Okay Akamaru, let's see if we can find a place to get out of the snow." Akamaru barked in agreement then trotted forward into the fog of snow. I had no idea where we would end up, but all I could do was rely on Akamaru.

-oO0-o)

I had no idea how much time past, but it was getting colder and colder. It seemed to be nighttime as well, or was it? I didn't know cause I didn't know what this was! Where the hell was this? And where the hell are the others? So many unanswered questions kept swirling through my mind. I couldn't think well either because of the cold. I was starting to lose feeling in my fingers and feet. I wouldn't be able to last much longer out here.

Akamaru looked at me, he could sense my suffering and see it too. He quickened his pace and tripped over something in the process. I flew off of him and skidded against the snow. Pain surged through my head again, worse than before. I tried getting up, but the pain was too great.

"What… the hell… is happening…?" I closed my eyes and blacked out for a minute. Akamaru licked my face to try and get me up, I couldn't really move. Again he licked my face, but this time he grabbed my jacket and started to drag me through the snow. I would have gotten up and walked next to him, but I could barely feel my legs. He continued to drag me around the snow until we were under some kind of building. I looked around and noticed that snow barely fell onto the ground here. I could sort of rest and keep warm. I sat up and leaned against the cold wall, Akamaru came up next to me then laid over me. I slowly wrapped my arm around him and closed my eyes.

I don't know how many hours past, but I woke up to the sound of talking. It didn't sound close to me, but the voices sounded familiar. I opened my eyes and looked around. It had stopped snowing and I was able to see that it was just a huge flat land surrounded by mountains; I could see it was night as well. I slowly got up with Akamaru; we walked around to see if we could find the source of the conversation. An open window caught my attention; I nodded to Akamaru then grabbed string from my pocket and tied a kunai to the end. I threw the kunai up towards the window and hoped it would catch onto something, which it did. I tugged on it to make sure it wouldn't fall out then I started to climb. It was a slippery climb, but I managed to make it to the top.

Grabbing onto whatever I could I looked into the window. I gasped at what I saw. Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara, and Naruto were standing around talking, but there was something different about them. The clothing they wore, it wasn't the same as before, and the way they spoke seemed different as well. I carefully sat on the window seal and listened in.

"Oh? So they've finally arrived?" Shikamaru asked looking at Naruto. He nodded to him.

"They've all been separated as well."

"Who's with whom?" Temari asked Naruto.

"Not really sure, but your double, Shikamaru-sama, is with Neji-sama's double… And Alysa." My eyes widened. Naruto never used -sama to address others. He wasn't that polite, and what did he mean by "double"?

"Oh? Alysa survived the return over?" Naruto nodded to Shikamaru.

"Who would have thought she'd be able to make it. I know she's strong, but give me a break, does Kumo Konjou-sama only keep her around because of her kekkei genkai?" Temari yawned and leaned against the wall; Shikamaru shook his head at her and smirked. I cocked my head slightly; Kumo Konjou was that spirit that Sasuke said convinced Shikamaru to come here, so why did they talk about him as if he was on their side? Had he already gotten to Shikamaru and everyone? No, that couldn't have been right. These guys acted too different to be the same people I know, but still…

"Temari, she is from this world as are we, but she is more complete than us. That makes her stronger." Temari sneered at him and turned away. Shikamaru shook his head again and rolled his eyes. He glanced over at Naruto. "Do you know about the others?"

"Yeah, it seems that Temari-sama's double is with Hinata-sama's."

"Is that so? Heh, I can easily take down my double with that weakling girl from the other world."

"Heh, oh and Kiba's double is alone, I believe he landed near here." I gasped and slipped slightly making noise. They stopped talking and looked around. I peeked down when I got a gripping; wish I hadn't done that though. Gaara was glaring at me with a cold stare that sent chills down my spine.

"Up there. Kiba's double." Shikamaru, Temari, and Naruto all looked up with wide eyes. I twitched then whistled. Akamaru got below me; I jumped off and landed on top of him. I told him to run and he did, just in time as well. A blast of sand shot down where we had just been. I looked back to see Gaara on the window seal staring at me with murderous eyes. Akamaru picked up his pace and ran away from the building not looking back. I leaned my head on Akamaru's back and sighed greatly looking up. It was starting to snow again, hopefully that would cover up our tracks.

I stared up at the sky; I knew something was wrong. This wasn't our world. This was completely different; a parallel universe like that spider had told us. We were in a world we knew nothing about. Separated from each other and no clue about how to get back.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Gaara and Shino Aburame, Time: Pre-morning, Place: Unknown**_

_**Gaara**_

Shino Aburame and I looked up to the sky from under my sand that was above us, protecting us from the snow. As soon as we had awoken we both noticed that something was not right, that we weren't where we were supposed to be. I had given us covering from the heavy falling snow. Shino Aburame had sent out a couple of his destructive insects to see if there was anyone or anything nearby. Both of us were now waiting for his insects to return.

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. We needed to hurry, it was getting colder and I knew we both hated the cold.

"Gaara." I opened my eyes and looked at him. "There's a settlement two miles to the left of us." I nodded to him and slowly placed my sand back in my gourd.

"We go." He nodded to me and we ran to our left. Since we had no general idea which way north was we had to guess. Hopefully the snow would not get any harder than this. Luckily running would keep us going until we found that settlement, but unfortunately if we stopped before finding it the cold air that kept swirling around us would quickly catch up.

It appeared to be nighttime in this desert snow land. I was unsure about the exact time we had arrived here, or how long we had been unconscious. I could already feel the cold biting at my bare skin, my body felt slightly numb as well. Shino Aburame was probably feeling the same, meaning we didn't have much time before we would start slowing down.

"Gaara," I looked over at him, "there seems to be no life here."

"Yes, I noticed that as well. The snow must prevent people from…" I stopped running and looked around carefully. Shino Aburame stopped and looked at me. I heard something, the running of footsteps. I motioned to him that it was coming from the direction of us; he nodded to me. I tried looking through the snow to see the source of the noise, but it was snowing too heavily. Shino Aburame sent out of one his insects to scout ahead. I crossed my arms and waited patiently.

The insect came back and the footsteps grew louder. I could now tell that it wasn't something with two feet, it had four feet and it was running fast.

"It can't tell." I nodded to him and jumped to the left ready to capture whatever this was; Shino Aburame did the same. My sand started to come out of my gourd, while his insects started to come out of him. The footsteps grew louder then we created a barrier and the enemy flew right into it.

"AAAAH!" We swirled our sand and insects around the enemy then dropped them on the snow. I blinked then released my sand when I saw it was Kiba Inuzuka. Shino Aburame dropped his insects and knelt down next to Kiba Inuzuka. I looked to my left to see Akamaru snarling at us.

Kiba Inuzuka shook his head then jumped back in surprise. Akamaru came to his side all the time growling at us.

"Kiba, what are you doing?" Shino Aburame stood up and looked at him with concern. His eyes looked between us then he sighed greatly.

"Akamaru, it's not the other ones." Akamaru barked then stopped growling then sat down next to Kiba Inuzuka looking extremely tired.

"The other ones?" I questioned him, placing my sand back in my gourd.

"Yeah, I just met another one of you Gaara." I blinked in surprised.

"Another one of him? That does not make sense Kiba." Kiba Inuzuka frowned at Shino Aburame.

"What I mean is-"

"_Wind scythe jutsu!"_ A large gust of wind blow toward us that knocked us off our feet; Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru skidded across the snow and landed in-between Shino Aburame and I.

_That attack, _I thought, _It's Temari's._

"Shit, this isn't good. 'Shikamaru' and 'Temari' have caught up to me. Damn it!" I glanced over at Kiba Inuzuka. The way he said Shikamaru and Temari made me believe that there was something different. I looked up and noticed that the snow had suddenly stopped. It gave me a clear view of who was in front of us. My eyes widened, it was Shikamaru and Temari, but they looked different.

"Oh look Shikamaru… It's my little brother's double." Temari grinned at me. Her eyes were not normal, they were the same as the eyes that kunoichi we had encountered before, though they looked a little different. I slowly sat up and stared at them, if she had attacked us then that indicated either she was being controlled or this _wasn't_ my sister. She raised her fan to attack again, but Shikamaru grabbed it and shook his head.

"Temari… you can't attack to kill them. That's for their doubles to do. Remember, you're only allowed to kill your double." Temari glared at Shikamaru, but listened. She placed her fan on her back and yawned.

"Fine, they wouldn't be worth killing anyway." Now I knew for sure that this wasn't Temari and Shikamaru. I closed my eyes then threw my sand toward them, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka attacked in their own way. We were about to make contact when suddenly we all froze. My sand stopped moving, but fortunately Shino Aburame's insects didn't.

"Temari!"

"Those damn insects of his. _Wind Scythe Jutsu_!" Strong gusts of wind blew toward us and knocked the insects out of the air, Shikamaru released us from his jutsu and jumped back. We skidded across the snow once again. "Heh, they are so weak Shikamaru. Should I get Gaara to deal with his double?" Get Gaara to deal with his double? She wants to get me to deal with me? I was getting more and more confused about what was truly going on.

"No, Kumo Konjou-sama wants us to wait before attacking. We head back, Temari." Temari growled and glared at him and stayed put. "NOW!" Fear ran into her eyes, she bowed and placed her fan away then jumped back and ran off. Shikamaru watched after her then looked at us. He slowly grinned then ran after her. I stared out after them then sighed and looked at the ground.

"Did we just get our asses kicked around?"

"Yes Kiba." Shino Aburame answered him. I stood up and looked up at the sky.

"It's snowing again. We need cover." Kiba Inuzuka blinked then got up with Akamaru and nodded to me. I made a covering for us to hide under, while Shino Aburame sent out some of his insects to find another settlement.

"What now?" Kiba Inuzuka asked.

"We wait." I answered him. He looked at me then sighed, he got on top of Akamaru and waited. Eventually the insects came back and Shino Aburame informed us of another settlement to the right. I nodded, placed my sand back in my gourd, and then led the way. We needed to find out exactly what was going on here or else we would die. I looked to my left to see the sun starting to rise; we were heading south.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, Time: Early Sunrise, Place: Unknown**_

_**Sasuke**_

_Just hang in there a little bit longer, Sakura._ I had been running for almost an hour. Sakura was in my arms, unconscious. We had awoken at the same time, but because of what she was wearing she quickly fainted from lack of heat. I feared that she might get hypothermia, so I had to quickly find cover. We were in a rocky terrain so it was harder to navigate around, especially while carrying someone. I held her closer to my body and looked for a cave, but unfortunately for us there was none in sight. I didn't want to stop and let the cold air wrap around Sakura anymore, so my only choice was to build a fire out of the way of the snow.

I saw an overhanging rock where barely any snow reached. I quickly ran over there and placed Sakura on the ground. I took off my jacket and placed it over her. I ran out and grabbed as many fallen tree branches as I could. I dried them off as best as I could then I stepped back.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_ Fire came out of my mouth and lit the branches in front of me. I stopped and watched the fire, it stopped then lit up again and stayed. I sighed relief and looked at Sakura. I grabbed her and held her close to the fire and me. "Sakura…"

A couple of hours past, I kept the fire going as long as I could, but I knew we needed to leave. I picked up Sakura and held her close to me before running up the mountain again. The snow was still falling heavily, which slowed me down. It was getting colder and harder to see through the snow.

"Mmm…" I glanced down at Sakura; she was starting to wake up.

_Shit, I need to hurry._ I tried to quicken up my pace, but I was already tired, plus my legs were starting to numb. _Damn it! If only there was…_ I stopped and blinked. _Is that…? It is! _I quickly ran to my left to the cave I had seen on the ridge. I looked inside when I arrived. I sensed no danger, so I walked in and placed Sakura on a dry part of the ground. I grabbed a log from out side and took out a kunai. Quickly I started to cut it down to pieces that I could use. After about a minute I placed the logs together and lit a fire. I grabbed Sakura and moved her next to the fire then I sat down next to her exhausted.

"Mmm… S… Sasuke-kun?" I looked at her as she started to open her eyes.

"I'm here Sakura." She opened her eyes more and located me.

"Wha… what happened?" She started to get up, so I placed my hand behind her back and helped her sit up.

"You just fainted, that's all." I pulled her close to me and held onto her. "Everything will be fine. We just need some rest before moving out again." She nodded to me and placed her head in my chest.

"Where… are we?"

"I don't know. All I know is that we are in a foreign land, and of course there's snow everywhere, but right now we need to rest okay?" She nodded to me and closed her eyes. I pulled her into my lap and leaned against the wall behind us. I looked at the fire to make sure it'd burn for a while then I closed my eyes to sleep.

-oO0-o)

"Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun!" I opened my eyes to see Sakura staring down at me.

"Sakura…?"

"Sasuke-kun, the snow has stopped." I nodded my head and slowly got up to my feet. The fire looked like it had burned out a few minutes ago. That was good, we'd be warm for a little bit during our run. Sakura came over to me and offered me my jacket. I shook my head at her.

"Keep it, you need it more than I do." She hesitated before placing it on. "Alright, let's go then." I grabbed her hand gently then ran out of the cave. Looking around I could see that we were high on a mountain ridge. The best place to go would be down, so I started to head that way. I looked and noticed that it was starting to snow again. _Damn it, does this snow ever stop?_ I picked up my pace with Sakura behind me. I looked around and almost expected an ambush, but all was silent. It made me worry even more.

"Sasuke-kun, I don't sense any danger…"

"I don't either…"

"… … …What do you suppose happened to the others?" I glanced back at her.

"I don't know… I hope that they didn't end up in a place like we did."

"Yeah…" We both fell silent; all that could be heard was our footsteps on the soft snow. I sighed hoping nothing bad would happen.

We reached the bottom of the mountain to find an old ruined town. Carefully we entered and looked around. It was really silent and that was starting to bug me.

"Sasuke-kun, something's wrong. I don't sense any people." I stopped and closed my eyes. She was right, I didn't sense anyone either.

"Maybe no one lives here anymore…"

"You're right, no one lives here anymore." We quickly turned around, kunai drawn. A young boy stood behind us with a spider doll in his hand. "Well… no one 'alive' anyway." I kept my kunai out and slowly approached him.

"What do you mean no one 'alive'?"

"This town… it used to have people, but they all died. Now all that lives here is an unknown creature." Unknown creature? I didn't like the sound of that.

"What exactly does this… creature look like?" I looked at his emotionless face; his cold empty eyes glanced behind us. He lifted up his hand and pointed.

"That." I turned around quickly, my eyes widening. Something, I don't know what it was but it was heading toward us slowly. It walked as if it was crippled, had spider-like arms out of its chest, and it didn't have a face whatsoever. Sakura screamed making the creature look at us. I grabbed her mouth and stared at it staying still. It stopped then it started to move again, but this time faster.

_Shit, time to get the hell out of here!_ Still holding onto Sakura, I grabbed the boy and jumped onto the building next to us. Luckily the creature just kept running forward, or I thought it was luckily. It stopped next to our building then started to climb it. _What the hell is this thing?_ I kept jumping to other buildings then hid behind a chimney. I remained completely silent hoping that thing wasn't able to jump.

"That creature," the boy in my arms whispered, "It reacts to sound. It can't see, so we are alright here." I nodded to him and placed my hand in a quiet motion over my mouth. He nodded and stayed still.

And I thought all things were going well, but damn, this thing just had to come out of nowhere. I looked at Sakura who was trying to control her breathing. She was nervous and I was just as nervous. I glanced at the boy the only one completely calm. I shook my head wondering how he could remain so calm at a time like this, he was calm when he pointed at the monster as well. Maybe all his fear had disappeared from seeing that monster so much. Grunting from behind us made me stop thinking about him and start thinking about that thing.

I turned my head slowly and looked through a hole in the chimney. The creature was still on the first building. It was just standing there, probably listening for us. I gulped and closed my eyes. _You can do this Sasuke,_ I told myself, _It's just a creature, a really creepy one that might eat us. But you can take it down easily… right?_ I looked away and slowly breathed in and out. The boy tugged on my shirt making me look down at him.

"What?" I said soundlessly.

"Fire-based attacks won't work on it." My eyes widened. How did this boy know that I was going to use a fire-based attack? I looked back at the creature and bit my lower lip. Our only option then was to run the hell out of this town. I got a grip on the boy and Sakura then jumped up and off the building as quiet as I could. I heard the creature grunt, it probably heard us. I ran out of the city and toward the barren plains. For some reason it wasn't snowing in the town, but it was definitely snowing out here.

"The creature will no longer follow us. It kind of just protects that town." I stopped and looked at the boy. I placed him down on the ground and examined him. He was filthy and his hair was choppy as if he'd been traveling around a lot. Sakura bent next to him and examined him more closely.

"What is a boy like you doing in a town with a creature like that?" Sakura asked him.

"I was… ow… looking for you two." My eyes widened and Sakura stopped examining him.

"Looking for us? But why?" He looked at Sakura then at me.

"I want you to help my sister… I know she was the one who brought you here…"

"Wait what? I don't get quite what you…" I heard a loud scream that made all of us jump, even the boy. "Don't tell me that was the monster…"

"It was… it's leaving the town."

"But I thought you said-"

"I thought it wouldn't leave, but I guess it senses your chakra." I twitched.

"Great, just great. How about we keep running?"

"Okay, but before we do. You know the girl that was guiding Shikamaru-sama?" Sakura and I glanced at each then nodded our heads at the boy. "She is my sister, I need you to help me locate her. Otherwise Kumo Konjou will kill her and take over Shikamaru-sama's body." Our eyes widened and we looked at each other. This was not going down well.

"Let's go, we'll talk about this later… um…"

"Itzal."

"Right, Itzal. Let's go before that thing gets us." Sakura grabbed his hand and I grabbed hers. We ran across the barren snow land, and I started to wonder.

Where the hell were we exactly?

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Tenten and Choji Akimichi, Time: Mid-morning, Place: Unknown**_

_**Tenten**_

"AAAAAAH! Where are we?" I hit my head on a tree and stared at the ground. Choji came up next to me and placed his hand on my back. We had no idea where we were or what this place was, but we did figure out a couple of things.

One: It was snowing like there was no tomorrow.

Two: We were in a forest.

And three: There was not a single person around. I sighed and looked up at the sky. Hitting my head against a tree was not going to get us anywhere.

"Tenten-san… are you going to be alright?" I looked at Choji and tried to smile, but failed.

"I will be once I figure out what is going on around here." I stood up straight and looked around. "Which direction have we been going?" Choji looked up at the sky then pointed to the left.

"We've been heading west."

"West huh?" I shook my head and started to walk. "I wish Neji, even Kiba, was here. It would make finding a settlement easier." Choji nodded his head.

"We are just going to have to keep going west toward that building we saw."

"Yeah…" My stomach growled making me stop. Choji looked at me and slightly laughed, I gave him a look and rolled my eyes.

"Here." He said handing me some food. I blinked then grabbed the bag.

"Thanks." He smiled and took out a bag for himself. I leaned against a tree and started to eat. I had a weird feeling about not moving. I didn't feel any presences, yet I felt like we were being watched.

"Hey Choji… you feel that? The feeling of being watched?" He stopped eating and looked at me then around.

"Kind of… I thought it was just me though."

"Hmm… I think we should walk and eat. I don't like not moving. Something doesn't feel right about just staying put."

"Okay." We started to walk again and the feeling kind of dissipated, but still stayed at the edge of my mind.

"Where do you think this place is?" I asked trying to get that feeling out of my mind.

"Um… we are in a snowy land, but I don't think it's the Snow Country."

"Hmm, yeah I thought that too. I mean, the Snow Country had people there. This place is… empty."

"Yeah, I haven't seen a single soul, or even animals for that matter." I stopped and looked at him.

"You're right."

"Animals should be around here right? I mean there are animals that live in the snowy lands."

"Yeah, but… it's so quiet. It's creepy. It's like the entire land is dead…" We stared at each other; what if what I had just said was right? Could the land really be… _dead?_ "I think we should keep going." He nodded to me and started to walk again. I walked next to him silently. I felt so confused and even somewhat helpless. I never feel helpless, but why did I? Maybe because Lee and Neji aren't here, but no… that can't be it. I've never felt helpless before when they weren't around. Perhaps it's because this place feels different.

I sighed and looked up at the sky as we walked. Would we ever find a way back home?

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Ino Yamanaka and Rock Lee, Time: Afternoon, Place: Unknown**_

_**Ino**_

"IT'S SO COLD!" I screamed out to open space. Lee came up behind me looking like he was unsure what to do. He didn't have a jacket to give me, and if he did I know he'd give it up. I crossed my arms over myself, shaking.

"Ino-san… calm down please…" I turned and glared at him.

"Calm down? NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! I'M COLD, C.O.L.D. I hate the cold!" Lee winced and took a step back. I turned around and stared up at the sky.

"… Ino-san…"

"What?"

"If we continued to move, you would be warmer…" I glanced at him then sighed greatly.

"Fine, whatever! You lead then."

"Yes ma'am!" He offered his hand to me; I twitched then took it. He ran forward and I followed him. I looked around as we ran; we had awoken near a bog-like area. I didn't like it; it was filthy and disgusting.

"Lee, stay away from the bog this time." He nodded his head and moved to the east. I watched him then our surroundings. We were dangerously close to the bog. To close for me, but I guess it couldn't be helped considering this entire area was bog-like. Why did we have to be in a place like this? Why couldn't we just have awoken in a warm, grassy place? No, we had to wake up to a snowy, cold bog. I sighed knowing complaining about it wasn't going to get us anywhere.

We continued running and my mind started to drift to past events, all the events that caused this to happen. The first time we encountered Kumo Konjou, Shikamaru's memory loss, the return of the Sand Siblings, Shikamaru's sickness, a spider from Kumo Konjou, Shikamaru leaving, and then us coming here… wherever here is. Why did all of this have to happen? And why does it surround just Shikamaru? What's so special about that lazy bum?

I sighed; I shouldn't be talking about my teammate like that. It's not his fault that everything is revolving around him lately, but I still won't understand it.

"Hey Lee…" Lee glanced back at me.

"Yes Ino-san?"

"Are we… going to find the others?" He slowly stopped and looked at me. A smile came to his face.

"I'm sure we will!" I stared at him then nodded smiling back.

"Heh, you're right! … Hey this area, it resembles an area like a swamp right?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe the others are in the swamp! Perhaps the swamps near here?" He looked around then pointed west.

"It gets swampier that way. I believe what you're saying is correct."

"Alright then! Let's head that way!" I ran forward and he quickly followed after me. Whatever was going on, we were going to find our friends for sure!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kankuro and Naruto Uzumaki, Time: Late Afternoon, Place: Unknown**_

_**Kankuro**_

"NARUTO WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TOUCH?"

"I DIDN'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"

"THEN WHERE DID THOSE BIRD THINGS COME FROM?"

"Um… the vents?"

"AH DAMN IT NARUTO!"

"I'M SORRY!" Naruto and I were running from a horde of black birds, and they sure weren't happy to see us. We were just exploring an empty building when sudden birds came out of nowhere. I swear Naruto had touched something, no matter how many times he said he didn't. Well I guess it didn't matter anymore considering if we didn't get out of here we'd die! We turned right sharply into an alleyway, unfortunately the birds followed.

_Damn, we have some pretty smart birds here._ I reached into my shuriken pouch and pulled out a poison bomb. _Dodge this birdies._

"Naruto close your mouth! Don't breathe in!" I made sure he was ready then I threw the bomb backwards and grabbed his arm and ran into a building. I quickly hid in another room with him. We held our breaths, and hoped those birds would die from that. Screeching filled the air for several minutes then died down. We looked at each other and waited a couple of more minutes for the poison smog to disappear. Carefully we looked outside, no more birds only the sight of the snow falling silently. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground, Naruto sat down next to me.

"I hope that never happens again." Naruto said sounding exhausted.

"Me too… how about we get going before it does happen again."

"Can we rest first?" I looked at him and nodded. After a couple of minutes we got up and walked. "Why is this city so big? I've never seen a city this big before! And the buildings… they are so different than anything I've seen before." I nodded in agreement, the buildings had designs I'd never seen before either.

Suna's buildings didn't even come close to these buildings. They were several stories high and made out of some kind of metal. There were windows on practically every floor. My mind wandered on how this could be possible. We can build buildings with several stories, but not as many as these ones had. They had to at least be between twenty to forty stories. And the material it was made out of it; it was very unique. I've never seen buildings made out of metal before.

I suddenly stopped, something from one of the buildings caught my eye.

"Naruto, look at this." He stopped and looked where I was pointing.

"What are…" His eyes widened and he took a step forward. "Is that… are those…?" I nodded to him and walked toward the building with him following me. Walking over some debris I examined what I had seen. Naruto came up behind me with his hand over his mouth. "It reeks."

"Looks like this person's been dead for quite a few years." The skeleton in front of me still had some skin on it. I couldn't tell how it died though. There was nothing to indicate its death.

"It looks like the person just sat down and died." He was right that was what it seemed like. I stood up straight and searched around. More dead bodies laid across the building.

"This is just… I can't even find a word to describe this horror." I walked out of the building and looked around at the others. "Same thing here Naruto." He came up next to me and looked in.

"What the hell caused this? Why would an entire city just die for no apparent reason?"

"That's what I would like to know. That probably explains the birds, we disturbed their 'feeding' time." Naruto shuddered at the thought and just stood there, I kept on moving. "Come on Naruto, we shouldn't just stand around. Whatever killed this city, it might kill us too." That got him moving, he ran up to catch up with me but tripped. I stopped and looked at him frowning.

"Owowowow…" He got up and looked to see what he tripped on. His eyes widened and he jumped away.

"Eh…?"

"It-it-it-it's a hand!" I looked to where he was pointing. Indeed it was a hand, a hand that wasn't dead! I moved away slowly as the hand went into the ground. I looked at Naruto and gulped then we both jumped up onto a building to stay off the ground.

"I'm officially freaked out now. What the hell was that? I really do hope it wasn't anything…" We hid in the shadows inside of the building and waited. Nothing, the hand didn't come back out. I picked up some debris and threw it down where the hand disappeared. It hit the surface and immediately the hand popped back out grabbing what I had thrown. Naruto and I looked at each then backed up. "Ooookay, time to leave." He nodded to me and we ran through the building and to the other side. We decided to stay on top of the buildings this time after witnessing that.

We had been walking around this city for quite a long time, but that was the weirdest thing we had seen so far. I was hoping we didn't see anything else just as freaky. With the snow falling it made it really cold, even inside of the buildings. I shook myself and jumped onto the top of a building, Naruto landed next to me.

"Kankuro, this place is huge. How are we going to get out of here?" I shrugged and looked around for any signs of life. I didn't sense any, but that didn't mean there wasn't any here. Naruto placed his hands behind his head and watched me. It was really silent and that was starting to disturb me.

"Naruto, do you feel anything unnatural about this place?" He didn't look at me, I slightly twitched. "Naruto." Again he didn't move. I was about to say something again, but he placed his hand over my mouth making me glare at him.

"Shh, listen. Do you hear that?" I frowned then closed my eyes and listened. Nothing at first, then faint screaming. My eyes widened.

"Temari!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, I'd know her scream from anywhere. Let's go!" I jumped off the building with him following, we ran on the ground not caring what tried to grab at us. All that mattered was getting to my sister.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari and Hinata Hyuuga, Time: Late Afternoon, Place: Unknown**_

_**Temari**_

I screamed as a huge black bird lifted me off the ground. Hinata grabbed a hold of its other talon and hanged on tightly.

"Temari-san!" I looked over at her then closed my eyes. This day was not going well. First, we fall through a couple of floors in a building. Second, spiders tried to cocoon us. Third, we were chased by small black birds, which I easily killed off. And now a bird the size of a small building was kidnapping me! This day was definitely taking the turn for the worse.

I tried to move in the bird's talon, but my arms were pinned against my body. Frustrated I decided not to move at all, I couldn't reach my fan so it was just a waste of breath. All I could do was wait for Hinata to do something. I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was climbing up the bird's leg probably trying to reach its head. The bird swerved suddenly almost making Hinata fall off.

_Damn bird,_ I thought, _what is your problem?_ I started to struggle again getting impatient with being in its talons. _I am not going to be carried off to your damn nest!_ I looked over at Hinata to see that she was at the bird's face. She closed her eyes then shot chakra at it making it scream and shake violently. Its talons loosened up greatly and I realized right then how far up we actually were. Hinata fell off the bird, while I fell out of the bird's talon. We screamed as we fell down, I tried to reach for my fan but the air turbulence was too great. I looked over at Hinata and tried to grab her, but she was too far away. I closed my eyes hoping this wasn't the end.

"TEMARI!" I opened my eyes and felt someone catch me. Whomever it was slid across the ground with me in their arms. I blinked and saw that Hinata had been caught as well. I looked up to see who had caught me.

"Kankuro!" I hugged him as he sat up, his eyes widened in surprise. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Yeah I'm glad to see you too. That was a bit frightening to see you falling from the sky like that." I nodded to him smiling with relief. I looked over at Hinata to see that Naruto was the one that had caught her. I poked Kankuro to watch. Hinata opened her eyes and blinked. Her face suddenly got completely red and she struggled slightly. Naruto unprepared for her struggle wobbled and fell over backwards with Hinata landing in his lap. Kankuro and I laughed as he placed me feet first on the ground.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Naruto asked sitting up. Hinata got up quickly nodding her head. "But your face is all red, you don't have a fever do you?" I laughed again at how naïve Naruto still was. Kankuro shook his head as well then his eyes widened.

"Oh shit, talking time is over. That bird is coming back!" Kankuro grabbed my hand and jumped down into the building we were on top of. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and followed. The bird swooped over the roof screeching. Kankuro pulled off his puppet ready to fight it, but I grabbed his hand and shook my head. "But…"

"Not here, I have a feeling we might wake up those little black birds." His eyes widened and he sighed hanging his head. He put his puppet back on his back.

"I don't want to go through that again… that's for sure." I half smiled. That bird was circling around us like we were prey, which apparently we were.

"So now what?" Naruto asked me, while still holding Hinata's hand.

"We wait till it goes away?" I said unsure myself.

Sudden talons broke through the hole and clawed at us. We jumped to opposite sides against the wall. It kept screeching and trying to get us. I gulped and looked down behind me. It was a long fall, and I didn't feel like falling all over again.

"How about we run!" Naruto yelled over the screeching.

"That's a great idea! You two get over here then!" Kankuro agreed. Naruto's eyes widened, but he nodded. His hand gripped Hinata's tighter then he ran and dodged the bird's talons getting over to us. "Alright everyone jump across through the building's window into the other one!"

"Are you insane, Kankuro?"

"I might be… just a little." I glared at him, but sighed. We all stood on the edge then jumped out grabbing onto the edge barely. We quickly got up and ran deeper into the building. Fortunately the bird didn't notice, it continued to claw around. "Let's get out of here. I don't like being in buildings much, or being on the ground for that matter." I blinked but followed him as he ran out of the building.

"Kankuro… have you heard from Shikamaru or anyone else?" He glanced at me and shook his head.

"No, I awoke here in the city with just Naruto. I'm guessing you just woke up with Hinata." I nodded to him.

"Do you think everyone else woke up in this city, or somewhere else?"

"With our luck, somewhere else." I frowned sadly and sighed. What were we supposed to do now? We were lost in an unknown city with no idea of how to get out or where to go. I gripped my heart feeling sadness overwhelm it.

_Shikamaru…_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuuga, and Alysa, Time: Sunset, Place: Unknown**_

_**Shikamaru**_

"Neji stop it!" I grabbed Neji's hand, which was at Alysa's throat. He held her against the wall with anger in his eyes.

"Shikamaru be quiet for a moment! This is her fault, and I want answers!" He pushed me back with one hand making me glare at him. Alysa didn't struggle in his grip, but she did start to cry. "So answer my question! Where the hell are we?" I've never seen Neji lose his cool like this; it was really out of character for him.

"… I'm… I'm sorry. We… we are in the World of Chaos. My home world." Neji's eyes widen and he slightly loosened his grip.

"How did we get here?"

"Through the Ritual of Time… it is a ceremony that affects the Time Continuum. Kumo Konjou sent us to a parallel universe, a place where your own selves exist, except living different lives. They are incomplete though…" Neji let go of her completely, which she dropped and grabbed her throat coughing. Clash jumped onto her shoulder and rubbed his head against her neck softly. Neji knelt down in front of her looking guilty for hurting her.

"Incomplete?"

"I am complete because I am the only one of myself between our two worlds, but since your own selves exist in this place they need to absorb you in order to become complete." Our eyes widened, confused.

"Absorb us?"

"Yes, if they kill you they will absorb you becoming complete. Kumo Konjou will then give them access to your own world where they will cause chaos and make a world like this one." I looked around and gripped my hands. A world like this, huh? Snow everyone and always freezing, a place with no people or life? I sure didn't want a world like this.

"How do we stop them from doing this?"

"You must kill them before they kill you, but it will be difficult. I can help you with that, like I was doing before."

"Like you were doing before?" Neji cocked his head slightly and Alysa nodded.

"When I first met you, Gaara-sama, and Naruto-sama. My kekkei genkai is the ability to take a person's jutsu and fighting abilities. I can become them without looking like them."

"I see… that's what we kind of concluded after the fight. Alysa… that is your name correct?" She nodded to him. "Can you tell us where we are?" Alysa looked at me and held out her hand.

"The book please." I blinked at her then remembered what she wanted. I reached into my bag and pulled out _Myths of Kumo Konjou_ and handed it to her. She flipped through to the back and showed us a map. "We are here, in the swamp. This place is called Angra Mainyu meaning Evil Spirit of the Swamps. The other areas are: The forest Agana meaning Blood Forest, the snow desert Morton meaning Desert of Death, the mountains Nereza meaning Mountains of Darkness and the town at the edge of the mountain Cyth meaning Messenger Village, the bogs, Akeldama meaning Field of Blood, the city Céleste meaning Heavenly City, the lake Usha meaning Dawn of Demon's Lake, and the river Avdima meaning River of Destruction. That is all the areas of Chaos." I blinked and stared at the book. All those places had evil names. I glanced at Neji who had a serious expression on his face.

"Alysa, where are our friends?"

"They are in pairs, each at one of these locations. Though it is impossible to know which location."

"So we are going to be trying to find them blind?" She nodded to him sadly. He sighed and looked away. "This is becoming a big problem."

"Neji, we need to find someone soon or…" My eyes widened and my heart started to hurt. I grabbed at it and fell to the ground in pain.

"**You're finally mine!"** No, Kumo Konjou! I felt something enter my body then everything started to fade.

"Kumo Konjou is possessing his body!"

"What? Shikamaru! Shikamaru!" I fell to the ground closing my eyes. Pain surged throughout my entire body, I couldn't move. It felt like my heart was going to burst, and that my body was on fire. I couldn't hear anyone anymore, I couldn't hear anything. My mind started to drift away, but not before I thought of one thing before I fainted.

_Temari…_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

So? How did you like it? Pretty different right? Don't answer that.

_I've had a couple of confusions about this. NO, this is not the end of the story! There are still plenty of chapters to come.. Sorry about that._


	11. Understanding

Welcome to Chapter 11!

So enjoy this chapter, I've made it extra long! (longest one so far.)

((Side note, I'm going to underline the double's names in this so I don't have to keep saying DOUBLE, or COPY… it got annoying and hard to deal with, so just keep that in mind when you're reading. Although it will only be when the same two people are in contact with each other.))

By the way, I do not understand why a lot of the text was messed up. I've changed it now so it doesn't look so weird.))

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

All around me darkness, I was slowly drifting away from the light that shone above me. It was fading each second as I got farther away from it.

**Fall, fall into deep darkness.**

"Huh? Whose voice is that?" I thought staring straight above.

**Let yourself sleep.**

"Oh, it's his voice."

**Sleep Shikamaru, sleep.**

"Maybe I should listen, I am really tired." I closed my eyes and let myself start to drift.

**Good Shikamaru. Hehe…this makes the process so much easier and less painful.**

_What process…? Too… tired…_

**Meet your new friend…**

"My… new friend?" My head started to hurt in extreme pain. _I thought he said no pain… Wait… is this… a remembrance? Why now…_

**Your body is finally mine…**

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji… the next time you four decide to run off I'll make sure you're after school every single day! Understood?"

"Yes Sensei…" We mumbled.

"What's that?"

"Yes Sensei!" We shouted standing up straight.

"Good, now go sit down. We've got a few new students coming in so I want you guys to behave!" We nodded to him then took our seats. The doors opened up and we looked toward them. Three children with red, brown, and blonde hair came into the room and stood in front of the class. My eyes widened when I recognized one of them.

"Temari!" She looked up at me.

"What Shikamaru?" I stared at her then turned away blushing slightly at how pretty she was.

"Is um… your brother Gaara okay? He seems lonely."

_Huh? What's going on? My memory it's… being jumble?_

"Oh… um… yeah he doesn't have many friends." She sat down on the grass and stared up at the clouds. I came over and sat next to her.

"How old is he?"

"Ten."

"Oh, he's my age. Hey I know! He can play with me and my friends!" She looked at me and smiled slightly.

"Really? Oh thank you! That will really help!"

"You're welcome, and um… I'm glad to have gotten the time to spend these last days with you. You won't be coming back again will you?" She shook her head at me then turned toward the road that led to the main gates.

_Wait, why did it change again?_

"No… But… Hehe, maybe I'll see you during the Chuunin exams." I smiled at her. "Otherwise… I'm going to miss you…"

_**Shikamaru…**_

_**Do you love Temari?**_

_**Yes, I do love Temari.**_

My eyes flew open. I looked up to see the light almost gone. I clenched my fists and started to move upward to try and reach the light. Kumo Konjou was trying to take over my body and I wasn't going to let him have it without a fight!

-oO0―o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Neji, Shikamaru, and Alysa, Time: Twilight, Place: Angra Mainyu**_

_**Neji**_

I stared at Alysa as she examined Shikamaru. She had informed me that Kumo Konjou was trying to take over his body. Why she was so concerned seemed to escape me. I mean she did bring us here, why care what happens to us if we're just going to die? I leaned against a tree and waited for her to be done. Something about just sitting here didn't feel right. I could sense many creatures here, but no actually people. The temple to the east was just as empty.

"Neji-sama." I looked over at her. "Shikamaru-sama is fighting back."

"That's good… can he drive Kumo Konjou out?" She shook her head sadly.

"No, but he can keep in control. I'm not sure how to drive Kumo Konjou out, but my brother would know."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes, his name is Itzal." I nodded then looked around feeling a presence. Something caught my eye, Alysa got up and took out a kunai feeling something as well most likely.

"_Byakugan!"_ I scanned the area carefully, I spotted two figures approaching our position, but I couldn't tell who they were. Friend or foe, I had to be prepared. I walked over and stood in front of Shikamaru and Alysa. I could see that Shikamaru wasn't ready to fight and I wasn't too sure of Alysa's fighting skills.

"Neji-sama, let me use my kekkei genkai on you." I turned toward her and raised an eyebrow. She stared into my eyes for a second then her eyes turned into mine. I blinked then widened my eyes.

"I see, so you do take the eyes of the person you use your kekkei genkai on." She nodded to me and stood next to me.

"_Byakugan!"_ She was ready, just like I was. We both got into fighting position and waited. The sound of footsteps was silent; if they were close they sure knew how to keep quiet. My suspicions made me think that this wasn't a friend. Most of them didn't know how to silence their footsteps. I scanned ahead and saw that they were very close.

"…They come!" A figure came out of nowhere and attacked down at me. I jumped back and manage to glimpse what this person looked like…_me._ I widened my eyes and landed next to Shikamaru. Myself stood up and grinned at me. This person was definitely the other me even if his hair was short; he had the same eyes and figure. I stood up and glared.

"So this is what Alysa was talking about… copies of ourselves living different lives in another world." I gripped my hands as he jumped back and landed next to the other figure, Shikamaru.

"Alysa! Naruto was right, you're alive!" Shikamaru smiled falsely at her. "I'm so glad."

"Liar! You detested me from the start!" Alysa growled backing up to stand next to me. Shikamaru's smile faded and turned into a smirk, his gazed glanced over at my copy.

"She hates us, doesn't she? I would think she'd hate you the most because of what you did." My copy glanced over at Alysa with lust in his eyes, the lust to kill. I looked at her to see her eyes filled with rage. Whatever happened, Alysa was filled with hurt and anger from his actions.

"It looks like she still remembers. Heh. I like that…" Out of nowhere, Clash suddenly hissed from behind and flew at him.

"Clash no!" Alysa yelled out. Neji blinked then hit Clash out of the way. He sneered at the spider then shifted his gaze to me with lust to kill still in his eyes.

"May I, Shikamaru-sama?" Shikamaru nodded to him, which made him charge at me. I got ready to attack. I knew what to expect, he was me after all. He struck and I blocked then we engaged into a typical Hyuuga battle. He pushed me back toward Shikamaru, which forced me to tried and push him back away from him. His attacks were fierce and dangerously fast. It was kind of hard to keep up with him.

"Don't kill him yet, Neji. Just hold onto him, I want him to see the death of my double over there." I got distracted for a second, which gave him the chance to hit me to the ground. I coughed up blood and tried to get back up, but he quickly grabbed my hair and pulled it up tightly. I winced in pain and tried to grab onto his arms, but his foot was in my back. I closed my eyes to release chakra from my body, except for some reason it wouldn't work. Did he hit many of my chakra points? How could he have even though he never made contact with my body?

"You still value your long hair? I'd think you would have gotten rid of it long ago because of disadvantages. Hehe, I guess you just liked it too much." I glared and clenched my fists tightly. He was making fun of me and he could get away with it too. I watched as Shikamaru slowly approached Shikamaru. Alysa got in front of him and took up the Hyuuga style stance. Shikamaru stopped and stared at her.

"You going to stop me Alysa? With that weakling's jutsu? Give me a break, child." He started to walk again, Alysa didn't move or respond. I struggled worried that she wouldn't be able to fight him. If my copy could easily take me down then I'm sure Shikamaru's copy was just as strong as mine.

"Easy, he won't kill her, just his copy." I continued to struggle ignoring him. "Fine, whatever. Do what you want." Even though he said that he still wouldn't let go of my hair. I glanced over to see Shikamaru stop directly in front of Alysa who still wouldn't move. I grimaced when I realized that she wouldn't be able to defend much without hurting Shikamaru behind her.

"Move Alysa." She shook her head. Shikamaru swung his hand at her and she caught it, but he twisted it and flung her toward a tree. She balanced herself in the air and launched herself with her legs against the tree. Shikamaru dodged her and grabbed her hair as she flew under. He flung her to the ground with immense impact, that I was sure she had broken something. She screamed out in pain and fell limp. I struggled harder knowing she couldn't fight anymore. "Now then, to take care of you."

"No! Dammit!" I shouted out as he brought out a kunai.

"…Heh." His hand flew down and I was sure it was going to kill Shikamaru, I closed my eyes knowing I was powerless to do anything. "CLANG!" echoed off and I opened my eyes to see that Alysa was over Shikamaru with a kunai at the other kunai. Shikamaru's copy widened his eyes in surprise.

"You're still able to move?" He pushed down trying to push her kunai out of the way.

"I am." Alysa shoved her legs upward forcing him to fly up into the air. He landed with a thump in front of us. She sat up breathing hard with the kunai still in tightly in her hand. I glanced over at Shikamaru and noticed he was starting to wake up. Unfortunately my copied noticed as well.

"Shikamaru-sama, your double's waking up." Shikamaru got up and glared at Alysa. "If you're going to kill him, do it now." He got up and started to move toward her. Alysa stood up and held out her hands making him stop.

"_Ninja Art, Spider Web bind!"_ Web shot out of her hands and flew at him. It struck him and pinned him against a tree. My copy let go of me and raced toward Alysa. She turned toward him and did the same jutsu. He swung his hands out and destroyed the web, and struck her in the stomach. I got up and quickly struck him in the back of the neck, luckily for me he had been too distracted to notice me coming. He fell to the ground and so did Alysa. I reached out and caught her in my arms. She was very weak and unable to move. I glanced around, my copy was unconscious from that blow and Shikamaru's copy was struggling. I slightly grinned to see that the web around him was covering his mouth. I turned to see the real Shikamaru sitting up.

"Shikamaru, are you alright?" I asked moving over to him. He nodded to me holding his head.

"Yeah, headache… but I won."

"Won?"

"Won the battle, I have control and that damn Kumo Konjou doesn't."

"That's good to hear, but right now we need to get out of here." He nodded to me and got up.

"Is Alysa alright? And what the hell happened here?" He looked around, eyes widening when he noticed the copies.

"She's weak and possibly injured badly, and those are our copies that she spoke of. And like I said, we need to get out of here before they decide to strike again."

"Okay… will you be able to move?" I nodded to him then we started to walk. I stopped when I heard a whimper. We looked over to see Clash crawling over to us slowly. Shikamaru ran over and picked him up, he nodded to me and ran forward. I followed after him.

"Let's try to find Sakura."

"Have any idea where to look?" I shook my head.

"The… book." We glanced at Alysa as she pulled out the book and handed it to Shikamaru. Shikamaru flipped to the back and examined it.

"The mountains Nereza and the town Cyth are near here. To the east."

"Then we head that way. Hopefully one of ours is there." He nodded and we picked up our pace.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Ino and Lee, Time: Four hours after Twilight, Place: Angra Mainyu**_

_**Ino**_

"Okay! We're in the swamp! And the temples over there!" I gave a small smile feeling we would find someone here. Lee jumped up into the trees and I followed, he pointed toward the temple. I could see that it was the same temple we entered when chasing after Shikamaru.

"We should head toward it, but let's not enter it." Lee nodded and jumped down. I glanced around before following him.

"I really think we'll find someone here."

"I do as well Ino-san….wait!" He placed his hands out and stopped forcing me to stop as well.

"What is it, Lee?" I whispered coming over to him.

"I sense someone…"

"Who?" Lee shook his head not knowing. I shivered feeling very cold and uncomfortable. I looked around, this place looked like the swamp we entered while chasing Shikamaru. It made me wonder if it was the same one.

"Over in that direction Ino-san, towards the temple. There are people there." I nodded to him as started to run. Quickly I looked around again before following.

As we ran toward the area around the temple I heard a small groan.

"Wait Lee. I hear something." I said stopping. He came over to me and listened as well. Another groan came up making us look to the left. "It's over there!" I pointed before running in that direction with Lee following after me. I ran through the icky swamp plants, and stopped at seeing two people.

"…Ino-san. It looks like Shikamaru and Neji!" My eyes widened then I nodded moving forward slowly. Upon arriving at them I walked over to Neji and knelt down examining him. He was unconscious, but I stared at his strange clothing and his missing hair! Lee was just as surprised and confused as I was. This didn't seem like it was Neji for some odd reason.

"Ino? Ino is that you?" I turned around quickly to see Shikamaru pinned up to tree by thick webbing. He had webs over his mouth, but looked as if he bit them to talk, and like Neji he had different clothing on. I ran up to him leaving Lee to Neji.

"What happened here Shikamaru? Why are you two wearing strange clothing?" I pulled out a kunai and started to break the webs.

"We… we got attacked by ourselves."

"Huh?" I blinked at him not understanding.

"We got attacked by two others that looked like us. I'm assuming they are our clones. I don't mean as in Shadow clones or in just normal Clones. I mean as in living breathing, functioning clones!" The last webbing broke off and he fell to his feet. I examined him over; his left eye still had that spider-like ickyness to it. Fortunately, it hadn't spread to his right eye yet. I bit my lip, worried. _I hope he's okay._ I thought as he brushed himself off and went over to Neji.

"How did his hair get cut?" Lee asked Shikamaru as he came up. I came up behind kneeling down.

"I think the other Neji might have cut it…"

"But how?"

"Those clones… they're stronger than us…Too much stronger…" Lee nodded as he and Shikamaru picked him up.

"Shikamaru… You didn't answer my other question. Why are you wearing different clothing…?" It concerned me that they were hurt, but it concerned me even more that they seemed different. Shikamaru looked down at his clothes, quite surprised. He shook his head and looked at me.

"I… I don't know… maybe they switched with us to fool our comrades?" I nodded slowly and looked down. He had said comrades instead of friends… That was strange to me. "Ino… we should get out of here."

"O…okay." I looked around then headed north. They followed quickly after me; I stared at the ground slightly thinking about this strange event.

-oO0-o)

Neji finally awoke, but he wasn't able to walk so Shikamaru and Lee still had to carry him. He confirmed Shikamaru's story and seemed highly devastated about his hair, but for some reason I kept thinking something was wrong. Perhaps their clones took their clothing to trick our friends, but why go through the hassle of doing that if instead they could just say they found new clothing? It made more sense than taking their clothing.

"Let us rest here. Moving through this cold is hard." Lee suggested. Shikamaru nodded in agreement and helped place Neji against a tree. I sat away from them and stared at the ground thinking. Lee eventually came and sat next to me. "Are you alright Ino-san?" I shook my head not looking at him.

"S… something doesn't seem right." I told him keeping my voice low.

"You mean about Neji and Shikamaru?" I nodded.

"They seem… different… And the clothing thing… it's weird."

"Hmm…"

"And earlier… Shikamaru said comrade instead of friends… It may not be weird to you, but as long as I've been around Shikamaru he's said friends more than he's ever said comrades. Comrades to him was a crude term…He can be lazy sometimes and look like he doesn't care, but he thinks that if you think of someone as just a 'Comrade' you can't protect them as much when you think of them as a friend." I looked up at Lee, he was smiling at me. He gently nodded.

"I understand." I smiled back then looked up seeing Shikamaru coming up.

"Is everything alright, Ino?" I nodded my head and got up.

"Everything is fine! Just a bit cold…" Shikamaru slightly smiled then he winced and placed a hand over his left eye making me concerned. I glanced at Lee and raised an eyebrow. His expression seemed like he didn't believe the pain.

"Shikamaru…It's probably best if we leave here." I looked over at Neji. He had slightly hesitated after saying Shikamaru, which was weird. Shikamaru nodded slightly standing up straight and going over to Neji. Lee got up and followed. I sighed when they were ready then started to walk north again.

I started to doubt about Shikamaru and Neji. They didn't seem like they were themselves, and the more we walked the more I felt like I was right. Soon we left the swamp and headed into a desert like area. The snow was coming down hard which made it hard to see. We trudged forward determined to get somewhere.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kiba, Shino, and Gaara, Time: Midnight, Place: Morton**_

_**Kiba **_

I shivered against Akamaru. We had been running for God knows how long. All I knew was that an entire day had past, and we were still nowhere near that settlement! IF we didn't hurry we'd freeze to death. Not sure who'd go first though; I had Akamaru for warmth, but I was sure that wouldn't last long. Shino and Gaara had thicker coats than I did, but they had been in this weather longer than me. Anyone of us could go at any moment…

"Look." I glanced up at Shino's voice. He was pointing ahead of us, which I followed.

"…Ah! The settlement!" I sighed relief. "Finally…" Shino nodded in agreement.

"We should hurry." Gaara said picking up pace. I patted Akamaru and he whimpered, but quickened his speed.

"Don't worry Akamaru, we'll find food." I patted him again.

"If there is any food left in this barren world." I glared over at Shino.

"There has to be! How do think those clone… things survive then?"

"Perhaps they aren't alive."

"Che, sure whatever. They sure seemed alive to me."

"They aren't affected by the cold as I could see. They were wearing less than us as well."

"Well maybe they-"

"Shut up, you're annoying." Gaara growled at us.

"…" Our argument came to a halt. Last thing we needed was an angry Gaara. Besides, that argument was pointless anyway…I was winning.

A couple of hours later I felt completely exhausted. That building didn't look any closer. Maybe a couple of times it got a tiny bit bigger, but still didn't seem close. I sighed greatly and laid my head on Akamaru's neck. I was getting really tired, and I wanted to rest. I was trying to stay awake though because falling asleep in the snow was a bad idea, but my body just couldn't take it. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up we were right in front of the building. A very large building.

"Whoa! That's huge!" Shino and Gaara glanced at me. I looked at them and sweat dropped. "I… I must have fallen asleep…"

"You realize that was bad correct?" Shino asked me while Gaara went up to the building slowly. I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Good. Now that you're awake let's take a look inside." Shino followed after Gaara making me sigh. Akamaru whimpered before trudging forward.

When we got up next to the building I had to look way up to just see the top. The building itself had a strange design. It was all spider-web like, kind of spooky. The building was fairly tall, probably around 30 stories or so, maybe more. It was black with the designs being a venomous green. Akamaru took a couple of steps back, growling.

"What's wrong Akamaru?" I looked down at him. He looked at him and whimpered again, then did a small bark. Shino and Gaara watched curiously, but cautiously. I sniffed the air to confirm Akamaru's fear; my eyes widened when I smelled something familiar. "Gah, it smells like the inside of that wretched temple from the swamps." I placed my hand over my nose, "there's also smells of lots of spiders." Shino and Gaara nodded.

"We need to see inside." Shino pulled off his bag to look for something, but before he could pull anything out we were all lifted off the ground. I grabbed onto Akamaru almost falling off. I looked down to see sand underneath us; Gaara. He moved us up to a window ledge that was fairly big in size. Carefully we got onto the edge and the sand stayed next to us in case we slipped. We peeked inside, at first we couldn't see anything then our eyes got adjusted to the light.

Inside looked exactly like that temple except bigger, WAY bigger. There were webs everywhere but they seemed more organized unlike the temple. In the back of the room -we assumed it was the back- looked like something for an audience chamber. There was a HUGE chair, and big steps that led to it. My eye followed from the chair, to the steps, down the walkway, and finally to the huge door at the end. It was a big area, but it looked like the only thing in the building. There was probably something behind that huge chair, but we'd have to go to the back of the building to look. I was about to suggest something when my eye got a glimpse of a shadow.

"Uh, oh." I whispered. "There might be someone-" The building suddenly shook violently making us fall onto the sand. "What was that…?" Again it shook making everything vibrate horribly. I sat up slowly and held onto Akamaru as I looked inside of the building. There was a person in there, and it looked like Temari. She was looking toward the huge chair, which a humongous spider suddenly sat in. My breathing became faster and my heart sped up. That spider had sixteen legs. SIXTEEN! It was so big that its head reached the ceiling! I couldn't take my eyes off of it either. My heart stopped when it talked though, its voice was vaguely familiar.

"**How has everyone come into this world?"** Temari bowed before the spider and placed her head down before speaking.

"Just as you thought they would, Kumo Konjou-sama." My eyes widened. Kumo Konjou! The thing that infested Shikamaru is THAT! But why is… No this is the Temari from before… Wait, how did she get here before us? Well obviously she knew the path better, but didn't she go back to the other place with the clone Shikamaru? "They have all appeared in different areas. Three of them being in Morton."

"**Which three?"**

"Gaara, Shino, and Kiba." So that's what this desert like place was called… Morton.

"**Hmm… They'd likely die first from the snow before their Clones got to them."** Temari nodded to the spider. **"Where is Shikamaru?"**

"He and Neji went after their originals." The spider got up and fell to the floor onto its sixteen legs shaking the entire place. Temari fell back and looked up at it scared.

"**Without consulting me first? Does Shikamaru realize he CAN'T kill his original?"** Temari shook in fear and bit her lip not daring to speak. **"Humph. Find him and bring him and Neji back to me. They are near the Temple of the Wicked. Now go quickly."** Temari stood up quickly and bowed. **"I will rest until then. Do not disturb me unless something important occurs."**

"Y-yes Kumo Konjou-sama." Temari quickly bowed again then ran off down toward the doors. She opened them and we heard her go outside. Hopefully she wouldn't pass by here. I looked back inside as the place shook again. Kumo Konjou headed behind the huge chair and about five minutes later the shaking stopped. I sighed greatly and fell onto the sand.

"Th-that was intense." I mumbled under my breath.

"If that is Kumo Konjou's true form, why does he need Shikamaru's body?" Shino asked as he sent one of his bugs into the building.

"I do not know. That kunoichi that Naruto, Neji, and I encountered before must know." Shino nodded to Gaara then sat down and waited.

"What are you doing, Shino?" I asked staring at him.

"Searching for food."

"Oh? Now you believe there's food?"

"I never said I didn't believe it. I merely suggested if there could be any left."

"Riiight. You were thinking there was none!"

"I did not imply that."

"Whatever!"

"You misunderstand me, Kiba…"

"Hey here's an idea, if we find food. You get none for t-"

"Shut up!" I winced and glanced at Gaara's blank face. I gulped then looked at the ground; Shino stared out into open space. Gaara must really hate it when people argue. He must have thought it was pointless. About five minutes later Shino's bug came back.

"There is food a few stories up." Gaara nodded and we all got on his sand. We went up until Shino told us to stop. He pointed into the window. Gaara lifted up his hand and sand slowly covered the window. As quiet as he tried to break it, it still seemed to make a loud noise in the cold air. Quickly we went inside and waited until our eyes were adjusted to the darkness. I sniffed the air and my mood rose.

"Heh, there's food here. Smells like actually food, and not spider food." I ran over to what I had smelled and pulled open a sack. Biscuits and hard bread came out and rolled across the floor. Akamaru picked one up with his teeth and chewed on it. I picked up a biscuit and began to eat. "Hey, it's cold but it still taste good." Shino looked through another bag while Gaara ate some of the bread.

"Let us eat what we need then pack much. We shouldn't stay here long. The enemy is directly below us probably." I gulped down my food and nodded to Gaara.

"Gaara… we should rest here though. It is the only shelter and it seems warmer in here, quite warmer." He looked at Shino then nodded slowly sitting down. I sighed gratefully and munched on more food. Akamaru shook his fur getting all of us wet then laid down next to me eating a big piece of raw meat he found. I looked up at the ceiling and hoped everyone was in a good warm, safe place, and that they had found some food. Well if not, we were sure gonna find them and give them some!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kankuro, Naruto, Temari, and Hinata, Time: A little after Midnight, Place: Céleste**_

_**Naruto**_

"YAAAAAAAWN!" I rubbed my eyes groaning.

"Hey, Hey don't be falling asleep, you said you'd take the first watch after all." I waved my hand over at Kankuro mumbling "yeah, yeah" under my breath. I heard him sigh. "I'll take over before dawn breaks."

"Okay…" I heard him shuffle a bit then silence. We -Kankuro, Hinata, Temari, and me- had found an "unoccupied" building to rest in for the night. And when I mean unoccupied, I mean no creepy birds, no spiders, no creepy hands coming out of nowhere, and no dead bodies. I shivered just at the thought of those dead bodies. It was down right disturbing how they died. I shook my head not wanting to think about it, and not wanting to fall asleep. I stared up through the broken window. There was no moon, just the snowy clouds. I made a face wishing it would stop snowing. Did it ever stop snowing here? What's the purpose with all the Goddamn snow? The Snow country was better than this! I sighed and hung my head wrapping my arms around myself. Besides never stop snowing, it was really, really cold. We'd freeze to death before finding our friends.

A sudden noise made me get up quickly. I looked around with my attention going outside the window. I looked down at the street with fear rising in my stomach. Below, about 20 stories, were creepy looking things. They looked like people yet had multiple arms. Their bodies were pale and their faces blank. The way they walked creep me out the most. They walked clumsily like and moaned each time they took a step. It was a slow walk, but too creepy to call it even walking. There had to be at least 10 of them below.

I moved back slightly stepping on a piece of debris. The monsters stopped instantly. I gulped pulling my head in. I didn't make a move after that fear of attracting them. I heard no noise for about a minute or so then the moaning came up. I sighed under my breath and looked back out the window carefully. They were moving down the road. The leader -I assumed it was the leader- turned to the right and followed the road between two very tall buildings. The other creepy things followed after it. I didn't want to move until all of them disappeared, and when they did I didn't move until after five minutes.

I sat down and laid my head against the wall. My entire body was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold, it was from seeing those things! Man, what did I do to deserve this? I slowly closed my eyes forgetting that I wasn't allowed to sleep.

-oO0-o)

I woke up with a start looking around with fear. I saw Hinata next to me while Kankuro and Temari hadn't moved. I looked down at Hinata and slightly smiled. Her head was resting on my leg, and she was curled up close to me. I sighed and looked toward the window raising up my other leg and resting my arm on it. It was still night by what I could see.

**Naruto.**

I looked around again at hearing my voice. My gaze stopped at Kankuro, but he was still sleeping.

**Naruto!**

My eyes widened then I sighed greatly. It was the demon fox, he was talking to me. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was at the sealed gate with the forbidden seal still on it. "What…" I said to him. Nothing came up then his familiar eyes and orange glow bubbled forth from within the cage.

**Hehehe, scared are you?**

"Shut up!"

**Don't give me that attitude boy. **

"Humph…" I turned away from him.

**Don't want to listen to me? Hehe, I might have something you want to know though… about Kumo Konjou.**

"Eh? How would you know about that spider thing?" I asked turning back to him.

**Hahaha! How would I not?**

I blinked not really getting why he was being so "generous". "Why tell me?"

**Because I want to kill him! He betrayed me years ago.**

"He… wha?" I was now totally confused on what the demon fox was talking about. "Again I ask, why tell me this?"

**Are you really that brainless? I tell you so I can kill him! Just let me come forth when you find him and smite him down!**

"Oh… you only tell me so you can use my body to kill him… well forget it then." I heard a growl erupt from within the cage. Rolling my eyes I turned around to leave.

**Naruto…Do you want to know about him?**

I blinked; the demon fox was being TOO generous. I turned back to face him. "Why are you telling me this? I see no benefit in it for you if you tell me."

**You already understand that I want to kill you right here right now, but I've come to realize killing you kills me. If you die here I'd disappear forever, not something I plan on doing. So let's make a deal. I'll tell you how to survive this place, and information on him if you let me have a bite of that spider!**

I crossed my arms. All he wanted was to save his own skin, and in doing that he has to save mine. I closed my eyes for a second then turned away from him. "I'll think about it. Got too much on my mind."

…**Fine Naruto Uzumaki… But let me tell you one thing for not completely rejecting my offer. Don't get foolish, especially around yourself.**

My eyes suddenly opened, I was back at the city with Hinata still in my lap. The demon fox's voice had disappeared from my mind.

"Right, like that made any sense. 'Don't get foolish, especially around yourself'." I mumbled mocking the demon fox.

"Eh? What are you mumbling about, Naruto?" I looked up quickly to see Kankuro getting up.

"Ah… n-nothin'." Kankuro stared at me blankly then got up and came over to the window.

"Anything happen?"

"Uh, well these really creepy things were walking around down on the street earlier, but they went down to the right." Kankuro raised an eyebrow at me.

"Creepy… things?"

"Yeah! Yeah! They were all pale like and had a lot of arms. They were all moaning and groaning and walking really funny." Kankuro leaned on the wall.

"You sure you weren't just having a nightmare?" I glared at him and swung my fist in a hitting gesture.

"I'm positive! You told me to keep watch and I did!" Kankuro rolled his eyes and looked back out the window.

"Oookay then." I humphed and turned away from him. He didn't believe me, but I knew what I had seen.

Kankuro took up the watch, but I still stayed awake thinking about what the demon fox proposed to me. If I allow him to come out to kill Kumo Konjou -whenever he appears- he'll tell me about him. I could probably stop myself from turning into him, but if I told him I'd let him he'd know my intentions of doing that. He would force himself out. Not sure how well that would go down. But if I didn't let this happen and he was holding important information, I could be losing something that could deeply help us. I sighed and laid my head back. Kankuro glanced at me then looked back out.

"Just rest Naruto." I looked over at him then placed a hand over Hinata before closing my eyes to sleep.

-oO0-o)

"Eh? We leave now? And go where exactly, Kankuro?"

"Anywhere! I'm a little bit sick of being in this city." My eye slowly opened. Kankuro and Temari were in front of me with their arms crossed. I looked out the window; it still looked dark out there.

"I am as well! But this city looks like it goes on forever!" Temari glared at Kankuro. Kankuro returned the glare. I groaned and shook my head.

"Is it even morning yet?" I asked feeling groggy. They blinked and looked at me.

"Oh, Naruto, did we wake you?" Kankuro asked me. I slightly glared at him.

"Obviously…"

"Eh sorry… and yes it's close to dawn." I looked outside again lifting up an eyebrow.

"Really…"

"Yes Naruto, the sunlight is just behind the buildings making it still seem like night." I yawned loudly stretching my arms.

"So… are we leaving?" I asked. Temari and Kankuro looked at each other then sighed.

"Yeah, or rather we're leaving this building to look around. I'm going to go up on top with Temari. Wake up Hinata and come up when you're ready, we'll wait." I nodded to them still tired then they jumped up through an open floor and vanished. I glanced down at Hinata who surprisingly was still asleep. I nudged her gently.

"Hinata… Hinata time to wake up." She made a noise then slowly opened her eyes rubbing them. I smiled down at her and she looked up at me, blinking. Her face suddenly became red and she bolted up. I stared at where she was with my mouth gaping. "Wha…?"

"N…Naruto-kun…I… is it time to go?" I stared up at her then nodded my head. She stood up and brushed herself off. I made a confused face then shrugged getting up myself.

"Kankuro and Temari are up top." I came up to her and she nodded to me. I smiled then jumped up and looked down making sure she was keeping up. When we got to the top Kankuro pointed to what I thought was east.

"We'll start in that area." Kankuro suggested while rearranging his puppet scrolls.

"We're not going to have to split up are we?" I asked as we went to the edge of the building.

"No, I think doing that will be the worse thing. We're already split up as it is, we don't need to be even more split up." I sighed relief; I didn't want to be in this city alone. It was already spooky enough. My stomach suddenly grumbled and I frowned holding it. Hinata smiled at me and Kankuro sighed. "Right, maybe food should be first thing to find.

"Um… I have some." Hinata pulled off her back and opened it. She pulled out a couple of rice balls -slightly deformed- and handed them to us. I licked my lips hungrily.

"Thank you Hinata! This is just what I needed." I grinned then started to eat. Everyone else did the same.

After the meal we made sure we had everything then went building hopping. We stayed on top of the buildings for a couple of reasons: 1). Didn't feel like seeing if there was anything else besides "creepy" hands on the ground. 2). Just in case that big bird came back we'd be able to see it. 3). Had a feeling if we went inside buildings we'd disturb little birds and spiders. Plus, seeing those dead bodies was not cool. Having to smell that strong scent even up here was bad enough.

"Kankuro." Temari glanced over at her brother. He glanced at her but remained his sight on ahead. "I don't understand why this city is dead. Did you find out anything?"

"No just that the people looked like they sat and died."

"Sat and died? So they just let themselves die?"

"Yeah, from what Naruto and I saw there was no physical entry wounds or inside wounds that killed them." My stomach turned, thinking about that made me sick.

"Hmm… I hope whatever killed this city doesn't kill us… and…" All of us looked at Temari. "And I hope it didn't have an opposite affect."

"An… Opposite affect? Such as?" Kankuro inquired.

"Such as… turning them into mindless creatures?" I stopped. Sudden memories of last night came back to me. Everyone else stopped and looked at me. Kankuro shook his head suddenly when he saw me twitching. Temari looked between us raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Oh this idiot thought he saw some mindless creatures last night. I think he just had a nightmare." I glared at Kankuro.

"I did not have a nightmare! What I saw was real! Those things were…" I stopped and looked around, my body suddenly shivered.

"Those things were what? Were just your imagination." Kankuro shook his head. "Come on, let's go-"

"Wait…I hear something." I took a step toward the edge and looked down. There was nothing on the ground, but I was sure I had heard something. Then, the things I had seen from last night came around the corner. I covered my mouth from screaming and pointed down. "LOOK!" I whispered. Kankuro came over rolling his eyes then glanced down.

"Oh my-" I grabbed Kankuro's mouth quickly as the monsters stopped. I pulled him back until I heard the groaning noise again. He pushed my hand away and looked wide-eyed at me. "Wha-"

"Shh! Whisper! I think they hear by sound…" Kankuro made a face, but went back over to the edge and looked down at the creatures. The monsters hadn't noticed us and were walking up toward the buildings we had been resting in. "Maybe they patrol the city…" I thought aloud. Kankuro looked at me with disbelief. "What…?"

"That's the first intelligent thing I've ever heard you say." I glared at him. "I think you're right. These creatures look like they're patrolling the area." By this time Temari and Hinata had came over and looked down. Hinata bit her lip to not scream, while Temari stared in disbelief at the sight. "Hey, how about we leave them to do their job?" Kankuro backed up and went in the opposite direction of the creatures. I glanced down one more time and followed after him. The girls were right behind me.

-oO0-o)

"IS THERE NO DAMN ENDING TO THIS CITY?" Temari yelled obviously very upset. We were resting on the side of a building after encountering a whole load of spiders. While we were jumping Temari had fallen down into a hole. When we went after her… well let's just say I'm starting to have a natural fear of spiders. I looked at Temari as Hinata pulled a couple of webs off of her.

"Ah! Temari, settle down. We don't need unpleasant things coming after us!" She glared at Kankuro, but remained silent. I looked up at the sky to see the sunlight just barely above the faraway mountains to the east.

"Um…" Hinata stood up. "I… um wanted to suggest this earlier, but you were all too upset." Temari turned around still glaring. "I… I can use Byakugan to see if there's… any end…" Temari stared blankly at her then made a face sighing.

"Use it… I'm too… nice to be upset at you." Temari stressed the word nice. I think it's just hard to be mad at Hinata, unless you're Neji… But that's beside the point. Hinata nodded then looked away from the sunlight.

"_Byakugan!"_ I watched her as her eyes and face grew veins. She remained silent for a while then closed her eyes with her face returning to normal. "There's water to the south, about 70 miles from here."

"70 miles! That's ridiculous!"

"I believe we're in the middle of the city, Temari-san." Temari mumbled than got up. Kankuro looked over at Temari then sighed.

"Let's head that way, alright? 70 miles isn't that bad, it'll take maybe a day or so considering how we're traveling. We need water and I ain't going to try the water in this city even if you told me it was perfectly okay to drink." Temari looked at him then got up and ran southward. I got up and followed after her with Hinata at my side. Kankuro was last keeping watch on the rear. I watched Temari from behind and slightly smiled. She was angry because she couldn't find Shikamaru. I understood that completely.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Tenten and Choji, Time: Mid-morning, Place: Agana**_

_**Tenten**_

Choji and I peeked out of the trees at some strange ruins. We had been traveling for almost a day, with a small rest in-between, and just recently had come across this. We didn't want to enter, but we were curious to what was inside. It looked like a ruined house, a Japanese style one like the Hyuuga's have. I stood up and slowly walked toward it. Choji made a noise then sighed following after me. I stopped at what should have been the main door; it was ruined and from the looks of it…burned. I peeked inside before heading in.

Even if there wasn't a roof or walls anymore you could tell this place had been grand. There had to have been many rooms, it was all fairly large. The kitchen area looked like it seated a small family of perhaps 4 to 5, but nevertheless it was still an amazing place. Or at least it had been. Everywhere you looked there were burn marks. Someone had killed a family that had lived here at one point.

"Tenten-san…This place is strange…" I nodded to Choji and headed deeper in. "Tenten-san do you think it's safe to wander in here?"

"I'm sure it's fine, Choji. No harm done if we do." I looked at him smiling, he still seemed unsure. "I won't touch anything, okay?" He looked down then slightly smiled. I turned back around and looked left and right down a broken hallway. Some places were inaccessible because of the snow, so I went over to a room that wasn't. Slowly I opened the door and peeked inside. It hadn't suffered as much fire damage as the other places, but it was still in bad shape. There was a bed in the far left corner of the room and a desk close to it. Near the door was a drawer for what I assumed was clothing.__

I entered the room fully and looked around. One corner caught my eye; there was some kind of puppet like stuff, kind of like what Kankuro carried around with him. Though, these puppets were different looking. I went over and bent down in front of them. They were soft kind of puppets, which made me assume that they were only dolls instead of puppets, but looking at them closer I could see places that could open up for a weapon or two. My guess was that these were fighting puppets for a person that had once lived here.

"Tenten-san." I turned around quickly to see Choji standing in the doorway. "This room looks like it was for a young child…" I raised an eyebrow then looked the way he was glancing. He was looking at the bed in the corner.

"Oh, I see what you mean. The bed is small. Hmm…" I stood up and went over to him. We left the room carefully shutting the door then headed to the room right across. We glanced at each other before opening the door. Inside was a bit darker because it actually had a roof unlike the others. I stepped in first examining the room.

It was a little bit larger than the other one, the bed was in the opposite corner and against the wall instead of facing it. There was a large mirror on the left wall that was right above a desk. This room looked like it had been a girl's perhaps. I carefully walked across the ground, there was a drawer like the other room, but unlike the other room this one seemed more decorated though the decorations were a bit spooky. They were of green, red, and purple spider designs; they ran across all of the walls even the ceiling and floor. I walked out of the room and closed the door with a confused look on my face.

"Tenten-san? What's wrong?" Choji asked me as he pulled out a bag of chips.

"Choji… this house was burnt, right?" He nodded to me. "Then why is this room, the one I just left, the only one that wasn't burnt?" He stopped eating and blinked at me.

"It wasn't burnt?" I nodded. He thought then shook his head not knowing. "Maybe we should examine the room and look for something as to a clue?" I placed my hand on my chin then nodded again and placed my hand on the door handle. "Ah, wait Tenten-san." I stopped and turned my head toward him.

"What, Choji?"

"This door has something written on it, although it's hard to see." I took a step back and looked, my eyes caught faint lettering. With my sleeve I wiped away the burnt charcoal as best as I could.

"Hmm… It says… Alysa…" I blinked, the name sounded familiar somehow. "Alysa? That must be the name of the girl who had this room." I looked at Choji who was wiping away the other door we had been at. "What does it say, Choji?"

"It's faint, but I think it says Itzal."

"Hmm, little brother maybe?"

"Maybe. I think the other rooms blocked by snow could be the parents."

"Probably. Well, let's enter this room and see if we can find anything." He came back over to me and I opened the door entering. It was slightly hard to see so I went over to the window and pulled off the curtains making more light shine through even if it was only mid-morning. I bent down and started looking and Choji did the same.

A couple of minutes later Choji piped up and came up giving me a photo. I looked down at it surprised. It looked like a photo of a family; the color wasn't faded so you could still see the hair color of everyone.

There were two adults and three children; all of them looked to be Shinobi. The mother was on the left, she had fairly long hair that was a greenish color, and a forehead protector with a village symbol that I didn't recognize. Her right hand was on the shoulder of a young girl in front of her. The father was in the middle; his hair was a purplish color, which covered the left side of his face. It was short, and he had a forehead protector over his head. His arms were crossed and he looked very unpleasant.

Then there were the two children in front of the parents, and the one to the right… The girl that was just in front of the mother looked to be about 12, and had a mix of greenish/purple hair that was really long and covered the right side of her face. Her clothing design was like her room, had many spiders and webs on it. Her forehead protector was like Shikamaru's, on the arm. She looked vaguely familiar to me for some reason; I couldn't place my finger on it at the moment though. Her left hand was holding a little boy's hand; he seemed to be about 6 or 7.

His hair reminded me of a spider because of how the bangs popped out of his face, reminded me of Ino's bang. His hair was short and was green with a slight tint of purple in it, which resided mostly in the bangs. In his right hand was a spider like doll with about sixteen eyes. It seemed like a very nice family. The girl would probably be Alysa while the young boy was Itzal, but the boy that was to the far right of the picture, who was slightly taller than the girl seemed slightly out of place. I gasped out suddenly realizing I recognized him.

The boy, who was about 15 or so, was Neji. I stared at him intently to make sure. He had the same dark hair color and the same Byakugan eyes. Though his clothing was different, he still had the same hair length. Even though a blank forehead protector covered up his right eye, it was still Neji.

"Choji… why is Neji in this picture?" He looked at it with eyes widening then he shook his head.

"Maybe it's someone else?"

"No, I'm sure it's Neji. It has to be… who else has those Byakugan eyes…" Choji shrugged really not knowing. I sighed and stood up placing the picture in my bag. "I think this proves something that spider had said to us before we came here. It had said something about going to a parallel universe." Choji stared at me confused. "A parallel universe is like an exact copy of a place yet the people living there are living different lives." He nodded slightly understand.

"So… that Neji in the picture isn't the Neji we know?"

"Probably…" I blinked pulling out the picture again. "Ah! This girl, Alysa, I think it's the one we saw back at that temple!"

"You sure?" Choji asked coming over and looking.

"Positive, the clothing is a bit different, but the hair and face is the same. So this is where she had once lived, but why come after Shikamaru then yell at us to get out? Yell like she was concerned…" I shrugged sighing; I was only placing more unanswered questions in my head. I stood up placing on my bag and went over to the door. "Come on, Choji, let's go look around some more." He groaned then ran after me opening another bag of chips. I wanted to find out more about this family, and why this place had been damaged.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Sasuke, Sakura, and Itzal, Time: Morning, Place: Outside of Cyth**_

_**Sasuke**_

"ARE YOU SURE WE CAN'T KILL THIS THING WITH FIRE?" I yelled at Itzal twitching. Sakura held onto my arm so I wouldn't hurt him. He stared emotionless at me with that spider doll in his arms.

"I'm positive, your clone, Sasuke-kun, tried to once. It failed." I frowned and crossed my arms.

"Let me get this straight, again. We have clones, people that look like us EXACTLY and that have ALL of our EXACT Jutsu." He nodded to me; I closed my eyes still not wanting to believe. Sakura gripped my arm slightly, I could tell she was still startled by the fact there was someone that looked exactly like her out to kill her. A scream just made her grip my arm tighter. I looked up seeing the monster right in front of us. "You've got to be kidding me…" I jumped back and pulled out a kunai, Sakura let go of me and pulled on her gloves tightly. Itzal came up next to me with is doll hanging to the side. "Can you at least be sure that this thing will die?" Itzal nodded to me.

"Yes, it can die, it just takes a while." Sakura moved forward in front of the monster as it screamed again coming at us faster.

"How the hell does it scream without a mouth?" I wondered aloud.

"Who cares at this moment! We just need it gone!" Sakura lifted up her fist and accumulated Chakra in it.

"Wait!" Itzal shouted, but Sakura's fist went flying into the ground creating a large crack that traveled toward the monster. The monster, unprepared for it, went into the ground making a loud groaning sound as it fell. Sakura smiled and stood up straight, but Itzal groaned. I looked at him frowning.

"What's wrong now? We got rid of it, didn't we?"

"Yes… you got rid of that one."

"That… one? YOU MEAN THERE'S MORE? I thought you said there was only one!"

"Only one that protected that town!"

"Sasuke-kun, Itzal-san, look!" Sakura pointed to the ground as it started to shake; sudden hands broke out of the ground near Sakura's impact and clawed it. Our eyes widened as more of those creatures came out and started to head toward us.

"Ah, damn! Back to the town!" I grabbed Sakura's hand and raced forward with Itzal right next to me keeping up. The monsters turned around and ran after us at a speed I didn't think they could go at. "So, breaking the ground was bad?"

"Yes, it awoke more of those." Itzal said as he entered the town first and jumped onto a nearby building. Sakura and I followed quickly after him; the monsters started to climb the building.

"They track by sound right?" Sakura asked me. I nodded to her then jumped around several times and hid behind a building where Itzal was. All three of us were slightly out of breath, and I could just bet that our heart rates had increased. I glanced through a hole and saw the monsters looking around confused. We weren't making any more noise so they couldn't follow us anymore, but they were sure damn close. Sakura poked me and pointed to a hole, Itzal was climbing into it. I nodded to her and went after him with her close behind. We landed in a dark an empty of a house, or I thought it was empty.

I screamed out in pain suddenly as something ripped my shoulder, Sakura struck at it with a kunai making it scream out as well. I gripped my shoulder and jumped back turning around. It was another monster. "Dammit, is there never an end to these things?" Sakura struck at it again and pushed me out of the room as it swung an arm around. Itzal motioned for us to follow him and we did. Much help it would do though. Those monsters seemed to live everywhere in this town. We ran out of the house and into another one, one that was more lit. I was breathing heavily as my shoulder throbbed in great pain, the wound had been deep.

"Keep still, Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered and commanded to me. I nodded to her as she started to heal it. Itzal looked out the door we had just entered to make sure the monster hadn't followed. We waited till Sakura was done before moving on. Even though she had healed it, it still hurt like hell. We ran out of the house and into another one yet again, although we quickly ran out when we heard the moaning of monsters. We turned to the right and ran into the main road that was between the entrance and exit of the town.

It was kind of like Konoha now that I think about it. It had a small wall surrounding it and the houses were close to each other with a small road in between most of them. It was way smaller than Konoha though, probably had only about 100-150 people at most.

Monsters screamed making us look up the street, unfortunately that made us almost not notice the ones behind. I turned around quickly and pulled Sakura out of the way of a swing getting sliced again, this time in my other shoulder. They had come out of the house we had just left.

"Sasuke-kun!" I fell to the ground screaming in pain. It was worse pain than the first one! Sakura grabbed my arm and slung it over her neck and jumped off as another monster swung down at us. "Itzal-san! Come on!" He hadn't moved, he seemed to be concentrating. A monster came toward him and struck down. "ITZAL-SAN!"

CLANG! I blinked in surprise. That spider doll in his hand had grown about five times it size, and it was holding the monster's arm. Itzal jumped up to us and fell to his knees.

"Wh… what's … going on?" I asked breathing very hard, Itzal looked at me.

"My dolls aren't just dolls. My Jutsu is kind of like a puppeteer's, although I give my dolls Chakra that makes them alive and fight for me." He slowly stood up and looked around to make sure there were no monsters near us. Sakura healed up my shoulder and hanged onto me. I looked around at the road with my eyes widening at all the monsters. I started to count.

There were five near the place Sakura and I had first entered the town. Four by the other entrance to town were we had just entered a bit ago. Two on the roofs and two that were being attacked by Itzal's doll. That one monster that had sliced my right shoulder was coming out now. I closed my eyes, that made 14 monsters in all, but who knew how many there were in this town.

"Th… there's 14 monsters… at the moment." Itzal and Sakura nodded to me. I bit my lip trying to concentrate. "_Sharingan_!" I looked around trying to find away out, but my body froze. "Wha… the…"

"S…Sasuke-kun… something… has us." Sakura hadn't let go of me, but I felt her twitching like me. I turned my head slowly at a scream to my right, my eyes widened. There was yet another monster, yet it had a face and less arms than the other ones. My eyes locked with its and fear suddenly entered me. It moved toward Sakura and me as if to grab, but Itzal got in between making it stop.

"Papa! Please… don't." It stared at Itzal, eyes emotionless. _Papa?_ I thought still unable to move. "Don't hurt them…" The monster he called papa stared blankly then reached out again.

Suddenly it flew to the right sliding across the ground, Neji took its place.

"Neji-nii-san…?" Itzal asked backing up toward me and Sakura as we fell to our knees exhausted suddenly. Neji looked over at Itzal confused, someone moved in his arms and sat up. My eyes widened, it was the girl that had taken Shikamaru and led us to that temple. Itzal's eyes widened. "Nee-chan!" That girl must be his older sister, though it seemed odd to me that she would be nice like he had told us. Neji knelt down and let the siblings embrace. Shikamaru came up next to Sakura and me.

"Hey, are you two alright?" He asked. Sakura nodded for us. "What the hell's going on here? There are creepy things running around." The girl looked over at us.

"These were once people, but they have been changed by Kumo Konjou. They are mindless, most of the time. They only react to sounds and chase after them. They do not require sleep, food, or anything else. They only require some kind of energy, so sometimes they end up eating each other." I frowned at her.

"How do they… eat?" She stared at me then blinked thinking.

"I… do not know."

"Well this is all fascinating, but how about we leave? I kind of don't like this place."

"Nereza is good." She said as Neji stood up straight.

"Nereza?" I asked as Sakura stood up as well holding me up still. Itzal looked at me.

"The mountains you came off of."

"Oh…I guess it's good as any, as long as those monsters don't follow after us." Shikamaru went over to Neji and motioned for him to go left. He nodded and jumped off.

"Sakura, Sasuke. Follow Neji. Itzal, how long can your puppets survive?" Itzal seemed slightly shocked at Shikamaru words.

"Uh, a while. The material is infused with Chakra." Shikamaru nodded.

"Good, then let's get their attention." Shikamaru jumped down and whistled loudly getting attention of many monsters. He ran toward them, over them, and landed behind them forcing them to turn. Sakura took that chance to jump off toward the direction Neji went. Itzal stood there for a second then pulled out another puppet, a six-eyed raven, and that too become like his spider. He jumped onto it then flew down attacking the monsters. I frowned; Shikamaru was being vigorous for once in his life. I guess being in this world made him realize he needed to do something.

We caught up to Neji and headed up the mountain.

-oO0-o)

"There's the cave." I said pointing up. Neji nodded and jumped up to it, Sakura followed. Inside she placed me against the wall examining me before going over to Neji and the girl. Neji moved aside and explained to Sakura where the girl could be hurt. Sakura started to heal and Neji sat down in front of me. I looked at him then pulled back as a large spider came onto his shoulder.

"This is Clash, Alysa's friend. He spoke to you before, remember?" I nodded slightly then examined it; it seemed to be wounded badly. "Also, Alysa." He glanced at the girl, "is the kunoichi that attacked us, but she's not dangerous. She told us that Kumo Konjou had control of her mind, so she was unable to stop from taking Shikamaru to the temple." I nodded to Neji, he had known my thoughts.

"Itzal was saying that she needed help. Kumo Konjou's apparently going to kill her." Neji looked over at the girl, who I assumed was Alysa, then back at me.

"Kumo Konjou… he almost took control of Shikamaru." My eyes widened then I sighed and looked outside at the falling snow.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Kill… your clones." Neji and I looked over at the girl.

"Alysa, how will that help us get out of here?" Shikamaru asked coming in with Itzal.

"Shikamaru-sama-"

"Stop the -sama."

"I'm sorry. Shikamaru-kun, killing them will help us leave this world. Once they are dead and absorbed into your own bodies we can take on Kumo Konjou a little bit easier." I raised an eyebrow at her, Shikamaru crossed his arms.

"Isn't he… just like a floating spirit?"

"In your world, yes." Everyone turned to Itzal as he sat down between all of us. "He is originally from this world like me and my sister."

"Originally…?"

"Shikamaru-kun…" Shikamaru turned toward Alysa. "I told you this was a parallel universe, remember?" He nodded. "That isn't completely true. We are just in a different dimension. I, Itzal, and Kumo Konjou are originally from this world, the World of Chaos. Kumo Konjou created your clones in order to defeat all of you. He wants access into your world once again, and to do that he needs all of you to die. And… he needs you, Shikamaru, to access the other world."

"Why are we being told this now…" Shikamaru groaned.

"I'm sorry…" Alysa glanced down as Sakura got up and rushed over to Neji.

"Is that spider hurt?" Neji looked and Sakura and nodded. Carefully he took Clash off his back and placed it on the ground. Sakura looked over and started to heal it. Looking at that spider raised a question to my mind.

"Hey… Alysa…. Kumo Konjou's a spider right?" Alysa looked up and over at me.

"Yes."

"How big is he?"

"Very large, he is about 20 stories high." My eyes widen.

"20 STORIES? WHAT THE HELL? You expect us to kill something that large?" I could hear everyone groan at the size.

"The 17 of us can take him on." I raised an eyebrow.

"Seventeen who?"

"All of your friends, me and Itzal."

"Oh…" I sighed and laid my head against the wall looking outside. Alysa stood up and looked at the door, webs suddenly came out of her hands and wrapped around the cave making it seal us in. I got up with Sakura's help and grabbed some dry firewood from last time. I lit them on fire and stared at it. My mind wandered to the world we had come from. What was going on there? How much time had past since we left? Were they looking for us, or had they given up hope? What would they do now since 15 of their Shinobi were gone? I laid down and closed my eyes. This wasn't a good day.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo- -oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Konoha**_

"Did you locate them, Anko?"

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama. Their trace ends at the swamps. I entered and found the temple, but there is no way to even walk up the steps. Darkness covers the entire place." A fist slammed against a desk shaking everything.

"Take a group of ANBU and search the area. Find a way into that temple anyway you can!"

"Yes Hokage-same!" Anko bowed then disappeared. Tsunade sat down in her seat, and turned toward the window looking out it. Shizune came up next to her holding Tonton in her hands.

"Shizune… they went _there_. I know it."

"How can we get there though? The temple is sealed off and we don't even know the right incantation to get there…" Tsunade bit her lip and stared down at the city.

"I will not abandon them!"


	12. Plans

Hey everybody! Link Ragnarok here with _**chapter 12 **_of _Love's such a drag_! Yes! I know, been a year and almost a month since I published this story.

I figured I should finally update this. All my watchers and those new to the story deserve to have to know the ending to this story. Not sure how many of you enjoy long chapters, but these chapters that I'm writing up, as they stand now with what goes on within them, are going to be pretty long chapters. I believe that this chapter, Plans, is about 8500 words. (That's not counting this extra stuff) Not as big as my last chapter, but it works for me.

Please, for those that know how much this story is OOC, ignore the fact that I made a crucial mistake with the characters. I realize that I DID mess up with what they are (Chuunin, Genin, Jounin). I meant to make all them, even Naruto, Chuunin and above I just, as I have stated before, never saw/read the Shippuuden arcs before chapter 7, so I made a large mix up. In my mind, and imagine in yours that these characters are wearing all of their Shippuuden clothes and have those Jutsu.

Also, this is definitely an AU, so as a side note Sasuke never went to Orochimaru, that idiot doesn't even come in period with this AU. Yeah, he did mess up Konoha and kill the Third, but he didn't try to take Sasuke. Sasuke just found those clothes... and liked them along with that sword... That's my excuse.

Thank you if you are still continuing to read this even after how long it's been, all the mistakes I have made, and any confidence you had lost in me a year ago. It means a lot to me if you still comment too, helps fuel my spiders to work faster ;_;.

Please enjoy! Any questions, just ask.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo- -oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kankuro, Naruto, Temari, and Hinata, Time: Mid-Morning, Place: Céleste**_

_**Temari**_

"Stop!" Kankuro suddenly commanded out. Naruto, Hinata, and I stopped directly behind Kankuro. Kankuro teetered over slightly at us stopping so close to him; Naruto grabbed him and pulled him up.

"Why did we stop?" Naruto asked Kankuro as he steadied him back to his feet. Kankuro sighed at him and gestured over the edge of the building. He raised an eyebrow at Kankuro before walking to the edge and looking over. His eyes widened in surprised and he jumped back. "Ooh... A cliff..."

I came up next to Kankuro, placed my fan next to me, and glanced down. "What cli-." I stopped in mid-sentence as I stared down at the open chasm below me. "What the?" I looked left and right to notice that the chasm wasn't just in front of us, but it lined the entire area to the east and west.

"You're kidding right? What kind of thing would make this...?" Naruto asked as he approached again this time with Hinata to his right.

Kankuro shrugged, "how should I know the answer to that? It looks like it ripped out a lot of the buildings whatever made this though..." He glanced down and stared. "Looks pretty deep too, even the sun doesn't shine all the way down into it." I crossed my arms and frowned then looked at Hinata who caught my eye. She placed up her hands and shook her head.

"I... I didn't know this chasm was here..." She looked to her left and pointed. "That is the water source I noticed." We all glanced to our lefts as well and frowned. There was water alright; it was a giant waterfall that fell straight down in the chasm though. I trailed my eyes down the waterfall and continued to frown when I couldn't reach the bottom of it.

"It'd be bad if one of us fell down this, let's back off and think of what we can do." Kankuro suggested. I nodded to him as he jumped off. Looking at Hinata and Naruto I placed my fan on my back and jumped off toward Kankuro with them behind me.

-oO0-o)

"There is another water source; it's more to the northwest of our location now." Hinata reported to us as she sat down next to Naruto. I glanced at her then looked down sighing.

"This is ridiculous." I mumbled, "we are not getting anywhere. And although it's morning, I'm a bit edgy to be wandering around almost aimlessly." Kankuro's hand clasped my shoulder and I looked up at him.

"Temari. First off, we do need to find water. We won't survive on food pills alone, and we also need food. Where water is, plants are likely to grow." Kankuro glanced to his left and made a face, "or I hope so. Nothing seems to grow around here..." I sighed again and shrugged off his hand, that didn't make me feel any better at all.

"Eh, well how far is it to the water?" Naruto asked Hinata who glanced at him then looked up thinking.

"It's not as far as last time. We could probably reach it by afternoon..." Hinata looked uncertain and I had a feeling why. All of what had happened to us recently made things a bit unsettling. Hinata fiddled with her fingers and stared at the ground. I glanced at Naruto to see he was looking around, but something troubling seemed on his mind. I wasn't about to ask though, no one could probably ever figure out what was going on his numskull brain. My eyes traveled to my brother who was staring toward the northeast.

Everyone's mood was in a low, but of course it would be. We were separated from everyone who had come with us on this ridiculous mission, and in an unknown world. I curled up, placed my head in my knees, and stared down. All of what had happened had been the fault of Kumo Konjou, and why did it have to happen to Shikamaru of all people? This, of course, wouldn't have been any different if this had happened to someone else, but it was so heartrending to me.

I love Shikamaru, and I always think that if I had been there when he had fallen into that hole a year or so ago, could I have prevented this? I shook my head slightly, the answer to that was no. This was bound to happen one way or another, but if I had known the situation ahead of time could I have prevented us from coming to this wretched place? That answer I would never find because that could be a maybe or a maybe not.

Sighing, I stood up and glanced at the others. "Let's go toward the water source that Hinata saw. Better than staying here after all." Kankuro smiled at me and stretched.

"Yeah. Temari's right. We could find some other clues too, or even a way out of this damn city." He motioned to Hinata who nodded to him and got up. "You lead Hinata. Naruto you're behind her, I'll be behind you, and Temari you're in rear."

"Understood!" We all said then got into position and took off toward the northeast.

-oO0-o)

Finally arriving at the source it was near afternoon just like Hinata had predicted. It wasn't snowing and we could just see over the large walls. There was nothing except for a very large river that circled itself towards the northwest. Vaguely in the distance looked to be a building, and maybe a forest. This river seemed to be the main source of the water that Hinata had found. We jumped off the building and landed near the river. Hinata and Naruto bent down as Hinata started to test the water source. Kankuro walked around to see if he could find any living thing. I looked to where the water was streaming from to see a large break in the wall that the water probably caused to flow in.

"Ah, looks like there are small wild vegetables and plants here that we could use to create food." Kankuro concluded waving over at us. I waved back and smiled slightly at him then Hinata stood up and came up to me.

"The water is also good. Nothing has polluted it and the rest of the stream seems to go underground from here." Hinata told me as she handed me a vial of water. I nodded to her and drank the vial then nodded again.

"Yeah, seems all good. Alright let's get a fire started and get this food cooking."

-oO0-o)

"What's the plan from here?" Naruto asked placing his empty bowl of food down. I glanced at him then looked at Kankuro who was drawing in the dirt with a stick.

"Eh, since we can take some of the vegetables here with us, it'll be good to pack them." Kankuro pointed with his stick. "Let's assume that this position here is us. As we noticed earlier this river seems to flow northwest." He indicated that by moving the stick in a wavy motion.

"Should we follow the river?" I asked him. He shook his head at me. "Why not?"

"It might be a good idea to follow the stream, but I'm not sure it will lead us anywhere. There seems to be another settlement to the northeast. I think we should head in that direction." Kankuro scribbled in the dirt again and I noticed that he was drawing an outline.

"Do... do you want me to look in that direction, Kankuro-san?" Hinata asked shyly. Kankuro looked at her and nodded. Hinata then stood up and went to the edge of the city walls and looked out across the blanket of snow.

"_Byakugan!"_ I watched her as her eyes gained the veins around them. A minute passed before she turned back to us. "There is a settlement like Kankuro-san said. It is a far northeast, but does not seem to be as large as this place.

"Hmm, that'll be good enough. I'm sick of this creepy city anyhow." I stood up and stretched. "Well since our destination is set. Let's pack up and move out! Formation will be the same as before."

"Okay." Hinata and Naruto responded at the same time then they looked at each other and smiled. They gathered up water and the left over food bowls. Kankuro glared slightly at me that I was giving the orders. I stuck my tongue out at him then kicked him, and pointed toward the vegetables and plants. He growled at me before rolling his eyes and gathering the food supplies.

I jumped over to the city edge and held my fan close to me. Somewhere out there Shikamaru had to be, and I had to find him. I nodded to the others when they were ready and we moved out. I glanced up at the sky and sighed.

"_Shikamaru..."_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kiba, Shino, and Gaara, Time: Afternoon, Place: Morton**_

_**Kiba**_

A wet feeling went across my face making me mumble. I lifted my hand up and tried to swat away whatever was doing that. "Go away..." The lick came again making me open my eyes this time. I blinked several times when I noticed that it was just Akamaru. "What, Akamaru?" He whimpered slightly then nudged my head. I growled slightly getting up feeling groggy then my eyes opened wide, and I got up looking around.

Where was I? Gaara was up staring at me with a confused expression on his face, while Shino, to my right, looked as if to be sleeping. I stared over at Gaara then my stomach growled and food filled my nostrils. I sat down slowly sighing; now I remember where. We, Gaara, Shino and I, were at this weird place where Kumo Konjou "lived". We'd overheard a conversation between Kumo Konjou and "Temari" who was Gaara's sister's clone in this strange place. After that we found some food and decided to stay. I guess we must have drifted off to sleep.

Akamaru dropped food at my feet and I petted him before biting into it.

"Are you alright?" I looked up and over at Gaara. He still had a confused expression on his face. I placed a hand behind my hand and sheepishly smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded to him. "Just got confused to where I was for a second." He nodded to me then bent over and held up a piece of bread.

"It... it is odd isn't it." He started to say. I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "There is loads of food here, even food for Akamaru."

"Yeah, so? We got food; I don't see a problem with that." I crossed my arms confused.

"Kiba, he is saying that it is strange we happen to find it." I jumped and looked to my right to see Shino sitting up, awake, and next to me. He was staring down at the food that lay out before us. Gaara nodded to Shino and placed the bread he was holding down.

"Why have it here? This place, if I were to conclude correctly, is where Kumo Konjou lives. No reason to keep this food here, I doubt he eats this." I blinked then slowly nodded understanding what they were talking about.

"You think they, those clone dudes, wanted us to find us?" I asked.

"Perhaps." Shino responded.

"Very likely, but all the same, even if they hadn't we need this food." Gaara placed out his hand and started to form his sand. It formed into a large bag then hardened. "We shall take this food and place it in here."

"Okay, but that's a big bag. Who do you expect to carry that?" I watched as Gaara and Shino started to fill the bag. Shino pointed at Akamaru. "Oh... right, of course." I glanced at Akamaru who found a piece of meat to chew on. "That's okay, right boy?" He barked in response, wagged his tail, and then continued to eat. I nodded to myself and started to help Gaara and Shino.

-oO0-o)

Out into Morton again. We were heading northeast because of large walls that we saw in the distance. The snow had settled down when we came out of the building which allowed us to notice our surroundings more. We noticed the large walls and figured that it was probably a city.

"You think anyone lives there?" I asked gesturing towards the walls. Shino shook his head and Gaara said nothing. "Humph... I'm guessing that's a no. Sigh, we'll find out sooner or later won't we?" I sighed and patted Akamaru before checking to make sure the food was still there. I grabbed a few pieces and threw some to Shino and Gaara who both caught it. Then I grabbed some meat and handed it to Akamaru who gladly munched on the food as we ran.

Stretching and munching on the bread in my hand I looked around at the surroundings. Not much difference from what we had seen from before, but I did notice that the layout of the snow was different. It wasn't as smooth as it had been near where Kumo Konjou's building was. Perhaps we were leaving this snowy desert, and entering new grounds that could have been grassy before the snow. Of course, there was no way to tell since there was snow everywhere, but I was glad that there was no wind and that the sun was in the air. It made the chill of the snow seem much less cold with those two factors.

As I gazed around, Gaara came to a halt making Shino and I come to a halt as well. "What's up?" I asked him. He glanced at him me and pointed toward his left. I followed his eyes and perched up slightly at what could be seen.

Water! There was a river like object flowing in the distance just north of us. "Wahoo!" I shouted. Shino shook his head at me probably thinking how much of an idiot I am. _"Ah, I don't care, there's water and where water grows, so do plants!"_ I grinned to myself. Akamaru seemed just as happy as me. Sure there was technically "water" everywhere. Snow, but I wasn't about to melt that and drink it unless I absolutely had to.

"Shall we head there, Gaara?" Shino asked. Gaara glanced between me and Shino before nodding his head.

"Wahoo!" I shouted again as Akamaru rushed forward.

"Ah, Kiba!" Shino shouted after me, but there was no way I was stopping. After a few seconds I heard them run after me, and I grinned to myself and looked ahead. _"Water here we come!"_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Tenten and Choji, Time: Afternoon, Place: Agana's abandoned house**_

_**Choji**_

"Tenten-san do you think there is anything else in this home?" I asked Tenten-san as I came into the house. I had just went around and looked to see if I could find any source of food, which I had found a small garden with vegetables and plants that were surprisingly still alive. I set the food on the table in the kitchen as Tenten-san entered the room.

"Not that I can find Choji... I can't enter the other rooms no matter how much I try." She sighed and sat down. "Can't use paper bombs without the roof collapsing on us." I nodded to her as I looked around the kitchen.

"Want me to make food, Tenten-san? Some of things in here look like they may still work." I went over to the sink and glanced at the water faucet. "Though... I think the pipes for water are broken." Tenten-san made a small laugh.

"I guess we can just melt the snow. I'll go get some, you start to get those vegetables you found ready for cleaning." I smiled at her as she stood up.

"Okay." She smiled back then grabbed a small bowl on the ground and went outside. I rolled up my sleeves and began to work.

An hour or so later we had a fire going and food preparing. We were sitting down as I stirred the food around in a pot I had found. On the table were also empty cans of food that we had found in the cupboards that still smelled good.

While it was cooking I happened to glance to my left to see a darkened area. "Hey Tenten-san... Over there," I pointed in that direction and she looked over, "seems to be another room of some sort."

"Hmm... Yeah, looks like it. Let's check it out after we finish eating." I nodded to her then checked on the food.

-oO0-o)

"UGH!" Tenten-san shouted as she sat down, exhausted. I, too, was sitting down exhausted. "This door just doesn't want to open."

"Should I use a jutsu on it?" I suggested. Tenten-san shook her head then stood up and leaned on the door.

"No, but I do wish that Neji was here-" The door suddenly opened and Tenten-san fell forward. "AH! Oof!" I stood up and knelt next to her gently helping her to her feet.

"Are you alright, Tenten-san?" I asked, concerned. She nodded to me.

"Yeah, fine, but why did the door open?"

"I do not know." I looked up and around. Another room that wasn't burnt. "This room seems to have not suffered damage either." Tenten-san looked up and around as well and nodded in agreement with me.

"Yeah, you're right. That's weird though. Why only these two rooms? Does this one have a nameplate?" She stood up and looked at the door, rubbed her sleeve on the burnt parts then frowned. "Nope... no name." I sighed and looked around carefully. It was a little bit smaller than the other rooms and seemed to have different things in it.

"This is almost like a guest bedroom..." I commented.

"Reminds me of the Hyuuga household actually." Tenten-san replied as she knelt down in front of a bookcase.

"How so?" I asked coming next to her.

"Looks just like one of their guest rooms, like you thought, I stayed in a couple of times. Although..." Tenten-san trailed off. I blinked at her and looked to see what she was holding. It was a book of some sort

"What is it, Tenten-san?" She didn't answer so I looked at the book and began to read it aloud.

"_Recent information from Kumo Konjou-sama has come in. Alysa has gone out to the temple to go to that world. She is bringing back Shikamaru-sama's double, and all the other doubles as well. It seems the waited day to travel to that world is finally coming to. I have waited for this day since Kumo Konjou created me. Thanks to him, I have been able to get close to Alysa's family without her knowing of the true intentions until the last moment. The burning of her home was successful, unfortunately her younger brother, Itzal, has escaped. To where, I do not know. He could not have made it far. Most of his puppets were left behind, although he did take his crow and spider puppet with him. No doubt he will use the crow to fly. Most likely place he will head towards will be towards Cyth. Fortunately, I was able to turn both his parents into harvestmen. ((Another name for Daddy-long-legs)). Their change aren't complete, but it will just be all like the others soon enough. With this, I am ready to take out those who stand in our way to our Master's goal._

_Neji."_

I blinked. The name was Neji, but how could that be? And this seemed to be a journal from Neji. I looked at Tenten-san as she stared at the book biting her lip. She seemed just as confused as I was. Looking from the book I looked at the shelves and saw similar books as well. Carefully I took them down and started to place them in my bag. Tenten-san watched me and said nothing as she held the same book in her hand. Once I was done taking those books out I glanced at other ones as well. A couple of them were just reading material, but one of them was a map.

I took a few steps back and placed the decrepit map on the floor. It showed a geological area of the place we were in. In the right hand corner was the name "Chaos". I assumed that that was the name of the entire area we were in. Scanning it I looked for an area that looked similar to a forest, when I found it I gently gestured to Tenten-san.

"I think this is where we are, Agana." I told her. She glanced at it then nodded before going back to the book in her hand. She flipped through the pages scanning it.

"This journal, Choji, seems to have what "Neji" and some others that have planned out with Kumo Konjou." She handed it to me, and I placed it in my bag. "I think from that page and this picture," she took out the picture we had found in Alysa's room, "we can assume that the Neji who wrote this journal and is in this picture is the same person."

"So, when he mentions doubles, he is referring to... us?" Tenten-san smiled at me.

"Most likely. Who else could have the same name as us, and look like us? He said he was created, and mentioned Shikamaru. I'm thinking there are others just like us too. There has to be right?" She looked at me hoping I would agree, and I did with a nodding of my head.

"He said 'all the other doubles as well'. That means there are." I stood up straight and looked towards the kitchen. "Tenten-san, we have just found valuable information. And I think we can conclude that that kunoichi who took Shikamaru, Alysa, isn't bad. Let's go back to her little brother's room."

Tenten-san got up and frowned at me as I walked out of the room. "Why?" She asked following me.

"Because, it sounds like he could be in trouble. The date in that journal is very recent compared to the date we left after Shikamaru." I went into Itzal's room and knelt down grabbing the puppets. "We should head to Cyth and take these to Itzal. That way, he can better defend himself." Tenten-san nodded.

"I see. Then let me get some food prepared for this journey. With that map we have a better idea where we are going." I nodded to her and smiled. She smiled back then ran out of the room.

We were good to go and now we knew exactly what was going on. Well, almost. We hadn't read through the other journals, but when we do I bet we would know what was really happening.

Grabbing our things and supplies we headed out of the home and toward the east with the sun shiny brightly overhead.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Ino and Lee, Time: Late Afternoon, Place: Angra Mainyu**_

_**Ino**_

I looked over at Shikamaru, Neji, and Lee who were making a small fire. I came up and stared down at their attempts while holding my arms tightly. It was cold and I hadn't realized that it was snowing out here too. I thought it had only been snowing in the bog, I hadn't known that there was snow EVERYWHERE. I sighed and shivered again.

Shikamaru stood up and pulled off his jacket and gave it to me. I blinked in response. "Th-thank you, Shikamaru."

"Welcome, Ino." He knelt down and cleared a spot off the ground so I could sit on a dry surface. He did the same for himself and sat down. Lee and Neji were already sitting; they had started up the fire. I sat down next to Shikamaru and wrapped his jacket around myself.

"_Well, that was mighty generous of him."_ I thought to myself. _"More generous than usual... And this jacket looks like it was meant for this kind of weather... Hmm..."_ I sighed and looked at Shikamaru. "Hey... Shikamaru?"

He looked at me, cocking his head slightly. "Hmm?"

"I was thinking... Why don't we check out that temple? Maybe it will give us some clues to of what is going on here..." I asked carefully. He frowned at me then looked away mumbling.

"I don't know, Ino... I don't think I want to be near that place ever again...Remember what happened when we were in there?" I nodded. _"Of course I remember, how could I forget that..."_ "What if something like that happens again?"

"Sigh, I guess you're right, but I still think we should go there." He sighed again at me then looked at the fire.

A few seconds later he looked over at Lee and Neji. "Neji, Lee. What do you think?"

Neji and Lee glanced over then looked at the fire. "I think we should do what Ino-san says." Lee responded first. Neji nodded in agreement.

"It only seems right Shikamaru... that we should investigate that temple. When we first entered there were only many bugs and spiders across the walls..." Neji pointed at. I frowned. There was that pause again after Neji said Shikamaru's name. It was as if he was holding back saying something after Shikamaru's name. Perhaps -san? No, I don't think Neji has ever addressed Shikamaru in any polite way except just his first name. Then what though? It was really strange and I was starting to think that there was something very wrong with both of them.

"Alright, fine. But let's do that later. We need to find food and water." Lee nodded in agreement and so did Neji. I stared at the fire thinking to myself.

I really did think that there was something very strange about them. I knew that Lee felt the same because I could see him constantly glancing at Neji from the corner of his eye. I wanted to find out more, but I had no idea how to do that without getting too suspicious. Unfortunately, I yawned and laid my head against Shikamaru's shoulder and fell asleep.

-oO0-o)

"Hmm..." I mumbled opening my eyes and yawning.

"Awake now?" I blinked up at Shikamaru's voice. "You know it's not good to fall asleep when it's cold, Ino." A frown was on his face.

"I fell asleep?" I asked yawning again. He nodded and gently placed me on my feet. I blinked again, why was I in the air? "Huh? Did you carry me? Wait, where are we?" I looked around to see that we were near what looked like a lake.

"That's right Ino-san. You fell asleep, but Shikamaru-kun didn't have it to wake you up so he just carried you!" Lee grinned. "That's amazing." I made a face at Lee, twitching then waved him off.

"Sure, sure..." I stretched some and knelt down in front of the body of water. "I wonder where this leads to?"

"Who knows. It's water, that's good enough for me." Shikamaru mumbled kneeling down next to me with a bottle in his hand. He scooped up some of the water and tested it. "Seems good. Doesn't look bad either." Lee and I nodded and scooped up water with our bottles. I looked around as I placed mine in my bag.

"Where's Neji, Shikamaru?" I asked. He looked at me then pointed. I followed his finger and saw Neji a little bit ahead of us. "What's he doing?"

"Not a clue, he seems fine on his own, so leave him to his business." I frowned at Shikamaru then glanced at Lee and gestured him away. I got up and Lee followed me as I walked off.

"We'll be right back, okay, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah, that's fine." He said turning around. "But, meh, since we're in an unknown area I guess I better check up on Neji." He placed his hands in his pockets as he stood up and walked up towards Neji.

Lee and I walked off a bit and stopped kneeling down when we were a good distance away from Shikamaru and Neji.

"Lee, now I'm sure that there's something different about them." I whispered as I glanced in Shikamaru's and Neji's direction.

"Yes, Ino-san. I am certain about it too. There is something definitely different." Lee placed his hand on his chin. "I can't quite place what is going on, but it does not seem like Shikamaru-kun and Neji."

"Yeah, Shikamaru's attitude is really different. He can be a lazy ass sometimes and not seem to care, but he's doesn't act like this." Lee nodded in agreement.

"It is the same for Neji. He is very calm about things, but he seems a bit jumpy. His hair is what made me think about this at first." Lee glimpsed in Neji's direction. "He was shocked for only a little while about his hair, and then it seemed as if it didn't matter at all."

"Yeah..." I looked down at the ground thinking. "What if... they're not really them? Didn't the spider say something about this before we entered that temple?" Lee looked at me confused. I frowned at him and made a face.

"Oh yes! The spider that spoke to our minds. Yes, I believe he did. Let me see if I can remember." As Lee looked down to think and stared off in the direction of Shikamaru and Neji. They were talking now, but in a way like we were, in secret. I frowned, when were those two so close anyway? Now I was definitely sure that this wasn't them. "Ah! I remember Ino-san." I looked back at Lee.

"What did the spider say?"

"He said that we were going to be sent to a parallel universe."

"Pa...rallel universe...?" I stared at him strangely not understanding. "What's that...?

"Let me explain. A parallel universe is a place, another world that looks exactly like ours. I'll use an example. We live in Konoha, correct?" I nodded to him, rolling eyes. "Well the lives we live are different if we went to a parallel universe. If we were sent there we would see ourselves, but living different lives. The place would be the same, but not the person. Even sometimes if it's the same place, it could have different circumstances such as if where we stood now the deserts of Suna. Do you understand what I mean?"

I slowly took in the information then nodded. "So you mean... this snowy wasteland is what used to be..." Lee nodded to me. "No way... So those two aren't who we think they are... But they're still good right?" Lee looked down.

"Perhaps not. They may be living different lives, but their intentions aren't always good. Their souls are the same so they might not harm us as if they were the real Shikamaru-kun and Neji, but yet they still might." I bit my lip. I didn't like that response at all, it was a bit scary, and sounded very true to what was going on right at this moment. I stood up as Shikamaru and Neji came over.

"Looks like Neji found some food. I guess all we need to do is cook it then we could head back to the temple like you wanted to, Ino." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know why you're so desperate to go there though, it creeps me out just thinking of that place..."

"Ah, I want answers! I think the temple would hold lots since, you know, it brought us here and all." Shikamaru sighed and shrugged then gesture to follow him. Lee and Neji walked behind him, but I came slower thinking again of what Lee and I had just talked about.

All that had happened, and all that would happened had to link into it. This was definitely not the Shikamaru and Neji that Lee and I knew. But if these two weren't them, where were the real ones?

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru, Neji, Alysa, Itzal, Sasuke, and Sakura, Time: Late Afternoon, Place: Nereza**_

_**Sakura**_

"Is everyone feeling alright?" I asked as we were heading out of the mountain cave and back toward the town at the edge of the mountain which was called Cyth from what Alysa and Itzal-san had told us.

"I think so, Sakura-san." Alysa answered me as she stood up slowly. Neji came up next to her and gently helped her to be steady on her feet. Clash squeaked at my feet and I picked him up examining him again.

"You look fine now, Clash. You'll just be a little swore." I smiled at him and he squeaked again. He hadn't spoken in our minds since the temple, but I wasn't sure I wanted to hear a voice inside my head besides my own again. I looked around at everyone as I placed Clash down on the ground. Itzal-san was kneeling next to Shikamaru who was looking at a book which Sasuke-kun and I had learned was the book of this world.

It was the book that Shikamaru and the Sand Siblings had found in the Konoha library. It detailed much about this world, Chaos, and also had a map in the back. Apparently the written information that dealt with the kidnapping of Shikamaru, when he was younger, was written by someone who had lived in Chaos then went to our world and became part of Konoha.

I looked to my left as Sasuke-kun came up to me. "How are your shoulders, Sasuke-kun?" He tested them out, winced a little but gave me a small smile.

"They're fine now, Sakura. Much better thanks to you." I smiled back and nodded.

"That's good to hear." I looked over at Shikamaru as he got up and strolled over to us with Itzal-san behind him. "You have an idea where we are headed, Shikamaru?"

He nodded to me and opened the book to the back and pointed at something. "Yeah, here, towards the city Céleste. Itzal says there is probably not much there now, but we could find some of our friends. We got nothing else to lose anyway." I nodded to him and turned to look outside.

"Anywhere else we could head after Céleste?" I heard Sasuke-kun ask.

"Meh, well near here? Not really... The forest isn't the best place to go to and there's probably no one at the Lake. I won't assume that, but I'd rather not go there, and if we went southwest, we'd just run into the swamp." I heard Shikamaru shift around before continuing. "That's were Neji, Alysa and I came from. Our doubles are there, and there is no way I want to run into them again right now."

"I see..." Sasuke-kun sighed and came up next to me looking out as well. "So to Céleste... What is that place?"

"It's a great city." Alysa answered coming next to us with Neji at her side. "It has very tall buildings that tower over even the clouds." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's quite impressive." I commented as she nodded to me, but in a sad motion.

"It's not that great of a city anymore. Harvestmen roam it now, and the city is full of dead people." She sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Wait a minute, Harvestmen? Now what's that Alysa...?" Shikamaru asked standing next to Neji with Itzal-san next to him and Clash on his shoulders. Alysa looked up at Shikamaru and bit her lip then looked away sheepishly.

"Ah, I apologize, Shikamaru-kun. Harvestmen are the creatures you saw in Cyth."

"Oh, they have a name now do they?" Sasuke-kun mumbled. "Great, we just escaped from these Harvestmen and now we're going to go head-on into them?" He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry..." Alysa responded looking down.

"Let's just go." Sasuke-kun mumbled again as he started down the mountain. Neji and Alysa followed after him then I took behind them. Shikamaru and Itzal-san came behind us and our trek down the mountain began.

-oO0-o)

We started across the desert plains of Morton, which was the name Alysa called it, towards the direction of Céleste. We didn't go through Cyth, too afraid we'd run into Harvestmen. If we had to deal with them in Céleste, there was no point in dealing with them here. Besides, if they took forever to kill we could end up being chased all the way to the city by them. Not something I find particularly fun or something I want to do.

I looked behind us as the sun began to set. It made me shiver as cold air began to blow across us. It had started to snow again too, which made the cold worse. We walked close to each other to hopefully keep warm. Sasuke-kun held me close with his arm and rubbed my arm with his hand to help from my arms freezing.

"How far is it, Neji?" Sasuke-kun asked Neji as he glanced back at him. Neji stopped and closed his eyes.

"_Byakugan!"_ Neji's kekkei genkai appeared in his eyes and he stared off into the distance then he closed them and sighed. "A good distance. At the rate we are walking, a day or two away." Sasuke-kun sighed as well and we continued to walk.

"I could summon one of my spiders that we may ride upon, if you do not mind." Alysa asked us. I frowned thinking about that.

"I say, we go for it. I was on it once, wasn't... too bad." Shikamaru mumbled. "It's better than freezing our feet off and we can be a little bit warmer."

"... Okay." Sasuke-kun and I turned to Alysa and Neji. Everyone stopped as she bit her finger and started the signs.

"_Summoning Jutsu!"_ Alysa placed her hand on the ground and smoke went into the air. After it cleared a giant spider stood before us with its many eyes blinking and its two large outward fangs twitching. I jumped back slightly from it shivering from how creepy it was. Alysa, Neji, Itzal-san, and Shikamaru got onto its back. I was more reluctant, and was about to say I'd rather walk when Sasuke-kun grabbed me and jumped up there.

"You weren't about to walk, now where you, Sakura?" A small grin on his face as he placed me down almost practically in his lap. A small blush came to my face and shook my head. "Good, cause you wouldn't get to anyway." I sighed and leaned backwards against him.

"This is Lindal; he's very gentle and won't hurt you at all." Alysa told us as she moved up toward Lindal's eyes. "Okay, Lindal, use your webs." The spider nodded making its entire body move then webs shot out from nowhere and wrapped around our bodies almost as if they were seatbelts. As soon as we were secure we started to move. I tensed up slightly, but relaxed when Sasuke-kun wrapped his arms around me.

"I hope this doesn't become a routine thing." Shikamaru commented. "Spiders are starting to seriously scare me..." Everyone made a small laugh at his comment even Clash could be heard "laughing" in a creepy, squeaky kind of way. I smiled then hung onto Sasuke-kun's arms and stared off into the distance.

-oO0-o)

_**Shikamaru**_

I stared up at the sky as we rode Lindal for the long distance to Céleste, which I was not looking forward to. If we were going to run into more of those creepy things with spider arms, Harvestmen, I'd rather just avoid the place, but if it was a chance to find any of our friends I'd take it. Especially if Temari could be there.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip. Temari. I missed her dearly, and thinking of her out there by herself broke my heart. Alysa had said she would be with someone, but that didn't help my feelings at all. What if she ran into some kind of trouble? I wasn't worried about her not being able to defend herself, but what I was worried about is what if she ran into her other self? Our copies were pretty strong, and they were used to this place.

My mind drifted to something that made me think of this. The dream of myself came forth, the one where myself was killing her who in result killed me. It started to haunt my thoughts.

Alysa had said that we, and only ourselves, could kill our copies, and I believe the opposite had to work as well. But this gut feeling I had made me think that my copy would end up... killing Temari.

What if my gut feeling was right? What if my copy killed Temari before my eyes then ended up killing me? I shook my head. _"No, don't think like that you idiot. Only way out of here is to kill our copies. Alysa believes we can and I gotta trust that belief. Besides, I can prevent this! I can definitely prevent my dreams from becoming reality."_ If I kept thinking that then I could give myself confidence to put those dreams aside.

"Shikamaru-kun?" I blinked and looked over when my voice was called.

"Huh?" I asked to whoever had called my name.

"Shikamaru-kun, are you alright?" I looked toward Itzal whom had a concerned look on his face.

"Am I alright? Yeah I'm fine, just spacing." I smiled sheepishly at him and he smiled back then curled up in my lap and closed his eyes. I sighed and placed a hand to my face mumbling.

"You sure you are alright, Shikamaru?" I looked up at Neji who was frowning at me.

"I'm positive, Neji. No need to worry."

"Kumo Konjou isn't trying to..." I shook my head at Neji.

"No, Kumo Konjou hasn't tried recently..." I placed my hand to my head. "Ugh... why does..."

I stopped, eyes widening, left eye in pain, forehead hurting, hand twitching, breathing becoming rapid, mind becoming fuzzy. _"Oh great, another memory. Why here, why now? Please don't let it be long."_ And with that last thought, I fell unconscious.

-oO0-o)

_**Splash, splash, splash. **_

_**The sound of splashing filled my ears. Cold, wetness drenched down on me. "Where am I?" I thought to myself. "Did daddy leave the window open in my room?" I felt cold; I could feel water rush down my spine. I opened my eyes to see what was going on.**_

_**I was running. No, that wasn't right. I felt my feet move, but it wasn't like running, they were swishing back and forth. I tried glancing around; I looked down to see the feet of an adult person. "Someone is holding me?" I glanced up and saw a masked face of a man. He glanced down at me with a wicked grin coming forth from the mask, and eyes that reminded me of bugs, which sent shivers down my spine.**_

"_**Hehehe, dear little Nara boy, Kumo Konjou-sama will be pleased with me for this." Kumo Konjou? Who or what is that? It didn't sound like anything I remember, but Kumo stands for Spider, and Konjou means Spirit. So, Spider Spirit? A spider spirit is going to be pleased with this man?**_

"_**Wh-where are we going...?" I asked hesitantly. The man stopped, and looked around nervously, but the wicked grin never left his face.**_

"_**We're going to Kumo Konjou-sama, dear Shikamaru." The man knew my name, I didn't like him. I started to struggle. "Now, now don't struggle. There's nothing to worry about." I struggled more. "I said stop that!" His voice was so fierce that it made me stop. He placed me under his armpit again, and started to run off.**_

_**I heard shouting; it was coming closer, closer, closer. The man sped up, splash, splash, splash. The man began to mumble something, his mumble ended, I heard a voice, it echoed in my mind.**_

"_**Dear Shikamaru... You do not know of who I am, but in time you will. I am Kumo Konjou." The spider spirit the man spoke of was talking to me! "You are a great asset to my survival, come to me when I call to you again. Don't be afraid, dear Shikamaru I am not here to hurt you..." Laughter erupted in my head, made me scream out, voice disappeared. **_

_**The man stopped, I looked up. Others had surrounded him. He tried to do something, but they don't let him. One of the others grab me from him, while the others take him down. That person held me gently, and jumped out of the way of the attackers.**_

"_**Shikamaru-kun, are you alright?" The person asks me, all I can do was nod. He sighed relief then nodded to the others. "To the Hokage-sama." We jumped off, I held onto the person tightly.**_

_**Splash, Splash, Splash.**_

-oO0-o)

"Shikamaru!"

"Huh?" I mumbled at hearing voices. I groaned and sat up opening my eyes. "What... happened?" I asked looking around at the worried faces.

"That's what we want to know." Neji said staring at me with concern. Sakura was looking toward me ready to jump from Sasuke's lap in case I needed healing.

"I... I think I had a memory. It... was weird memory though."

"What was it about, Shikamaru-kun?" Alysa asked me. She was sitting in front of me, which is when I realized that the spider wasn't moving anymore, and that there was no webs laced around us.

"Ah well..." I pulled out the _Myths of Kumo Konjou_ from my jacket and opened it up to the page that was written by Yuki Aizawa. "I think this event." I turned the book so that everyone could read.

"When you were kidnapped?" Sasuke asked me. I nodded to him.

"Yeah, I think so." I said placing the book back into my jacket. "I was a little kid, and someone was running with me in their arms. He kept talking about how he was going to take me to Kumo Konjou, so it had to be this event."

"Did you learn anything?" Neji asked, I looked toward him and shook my head.

"Not really, only the fact that Kumo Konjou had contacted me even before I lost my memory." I sighed and leaned back.

"You feeling alright, Shikamaru?" I looked over at Sakura and nodded.

"Just a headache and feeling hella cold." I shivered to verify it. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"We can go off again then?" Alysa asked. Everyone nodded to her and she was about to move Lindal, but she stopped and stared into the distance. I frowned and sat up straight.

"Nee-chan?" Itzal looked at Alysa with concern. I looked forward and wondered what she saw then I heard running in the distance. Everyone tensed up at hearing that, and brought out a weapon. Neji mumbled and used his Byakugan to look. His eyes widened in surprise.

"It is four people, the snow makes it hard to see who they are, but I do not think they are enemies." Four people who aren't enemies? Then they must be friends. I slid off of the spider, walked forward, and stopped a few feet in front of the spider. "Do not walk too far from Lindal." Neji told me, I nodded and pulled out a weapon.

The crunching noise got closer, closer, and closer. Then my heart started to beat faster, I was starting to make out who the four were and I couldn't believe it.

"Te... Temari?" I said barely above a whisper. My heart jumped when the four came into view completely. It was Kankuro, Naruto, Hinata, and, "TEMARI!" I shouted and raced forward. When she heard me yell out my name all of them stopped, but when she saw me running towards me I saw her face blink to surprise then joy.

She ran towards me and when we almost reached each other she jumped forward, and glomped me making us both fall onto the cold, wet ground. She hugged me so tightly that I thought I would suffocate, but I didn't care I held her back just as tightly. I heard the others come up around us and the chatting of noise, but I didn't care. The only thing I cared about right now was in my arms.

"Temari..." I whispered her name as she sat straight to look me in the face. Tears were beginning to stream down her face, and I had ones doing the same too.

"Oh... Shikamaru..." And without warning, I grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. Man, I wanted to do that for who knows how long.

-oO0-o)

After the "ahem" show, which everyone called what Temari and I did, we learned that Temari, Kankuro, Hinata, and Naruto had just came from Céleste. Kankuro said that there was definitely no one else there besides them, and no reason to go back there.

Man, what a drag. They were already coming out towards us. Well at least we didn't have to go to Céleste. I sighed as Temari held me not wanting to let go. Probably afraid that if she let go I'd disappear again.

It looked like half of us were together, the other half were still out in Chaos wandering aimlessly. We headed back towards Cyth and Nereza. It was the only place we knew of that would have a place to stay, and it was the only place that could have food. We were definitely all starving, and I doubt the food Temari and the others found would help all of us.

Well, we found each other, I'm happy, but now what? That question was still unanswered. What were we supposed to do now, go hunt down our copies and kill them? It was a good plan, but the real question was:

Were we ready for it?

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo- -oO0-o)0(o-0Oo- -oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

And there you have it, then end of chapter 12! The chapter that took me an entire year to write. ;_;


	13. Troublesome “Reunions”

Aaaaand here's chapter 13!

Enjoy.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kiba, Shino, and Gaara, Time: Evening, Place: Avdima River**_

_**Gaara**_

A river flowed in front of us. Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru knelt beside it drinking the cool fresh water. Shino Aburame stood near Kiba Inuzuka keeping a constant watch around us. The sun was setting and soon it would be dark making it harder to navigate in an unknown place.

"Ah, that felt good!" Kiba Inuzuka sighed happily rubbing his stomach. "Hehe, now to fill these containers with water." He took out several bottles and began to fill them up. I watched him for a little bit before turning my head toward the west.

In that direction was Kumo Konjou, our main enemy. What his plans for us were very much unknown, but I could conclude he had intended for us to arrive in this place, and if what Kiba Inuzuka had seen earlier was true then we could expect more.

"Kiba." I heard Shino Aburame's voice behind me. "We should not linger here for long. It is time to leave."

"Grr, Shino, stop acting like the boss around here! Che, we're gonna need water aren't we? So let me get water."

"That is not what I am inferring. This is an unknown land; we should leave before night falls and find shelter again." I sighed to myself. Useless arguing. They needed to just act instead of arguing about it. I started to walk and glanced back towards them.

"We need to head out. Let's go." I heard Kiba Inuzuka groan, but hop onto Akamaru and follow me.

"We are heading towards the walls, correct?" Shino asked me to make sure our destination hadn't changed. I nodded to him.

"What makes you think anyone is in there? Akamaru and I don't smell any life."

"Kiba, it is good to check out every place whether life is there or not."

"Humph." Something about what Kiba Inuzuka said bothered me though. We had not encountered life at all. I could not sense it, nor see it. With how barren and desolate the land was it was conclusive to say that there was no life, yet it still bothered me.

-oO0-o)

"Hey, hey. What is with this large wall?" Kiba Inuzuka shouted. "It's larger than the one for Konoha!" Agreed, it was. We were standing before a large wall that stretched far and wide. We'd followed the stream downward and came to an opening in the wall, but had not entered it.

Again, no sense of life lingered here as well, it was even worse here.

"There seems to be nothing within this place. It appears to be a city, although..." Shino Aburame looked concerned. One of his insects had come back from within the city. I glanced in his direction then toward the city.

"Hey... Shino... Do you smell that?" Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru jumped through the broken wall and disappeared within the city's wall. Shino Aburame and I followed Kiba Inuzuka in. My eyes widened in the sight of it, the large buildings that seemed to loom over even the sky. I looked around carefully examining the place. Kiba Inuzuka was no where in sight, but his presence was near. I began to walk in the direction he went with Shino Aburame following behind.

Clank. I stopped. My foot had hit something. I looked on the ground and blinked in surprise, it was a bottled container. I knelt down, picked it up, and began to examine it. It was a container that was from the Suna, meaning Kankuro or Temari may have dropped this.

"Hey! You two... get over here..." I looked up at hearing Kiba Inuzuka's voice then stood up and went into the building he had disappeared into. My noise wrinkled up at the smell and I stood back almost not wanting to enter the building, but Kiba Inuzuka's voice sounded again forcing me to go in. Placing my hand over my nose I walked into the building and eventually came up next to him.

"This is..." Shino Aburame came up next to me, a horrified expression on his face.

"Yeah, a dead body. Been dead for a while too." Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru stood aside to show the dead body, or to say _bodies_, that were scattered about the room. The smell of death was strong and horrid. It reeked and filled the room with a pungent smell. "We should leave this place before we get sick." I nodded and started to head out of the room when I heard something.

"Stop." Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame stopped and glanced at me then both of them looked around hearing what I heard. "Someone is outside." They nodded to me and ran out of the building. I looked around when we exited and noticed that where I had found the container looked to be a campsite.

"Gaara!" A voice shouted making me look up. My eyes widened in surprise, it was Temari. She came running toward me and embraced me upon reaching me. She looked up to my face with fear in her eyes. I stared down at her confused at first, suspicious, and then relieved. This wasn't the other Temari. The other one had been wearing different clothing and her eyes had been of something else. She was a bit torn up and hurt, but nothing serious.

"Temari, are you alright?" She gripped me tighter. I began to worry about what could have happened. Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame were on edge, but when they saw how calm I was they began to relax. Akamaru, however; did not relax. His body was tense and a small growl was coming forth from him, it was directed toward Temari. I glanced at Temari again and made her stand up straight. "Temari..." For the time being I needed to ignore Akamaru's distrust.

"G-Gaara... something terrible has happened..." I motioned for the others to sit, and then I sat down with Temari.

"Calm down first, Temari then explain." She nodded to me and we waited until she was fine. Sitting up straight she looked at us.

"I appeared in this dead place with Hinata..." She looked down as I saw fear vibrate through her body. She knew what was in this city, no point in her to tell us as it could be seen on her face. "We found this place near the river and camped until we were ready to go."

"I found this container." I pulled it out and showed her, her eyes looked toward it and she nodded.

"I was going to fill it up with water when we were attacked."

"Attacked!" Kiba Inuzuka got to his feet, anger appearing to his face. "By who?" He growled furiously.

Temari shook her head, "I... it was Naruto and Kankuro." My eyes widened and anger began to bubble up.

"Impossible. Why would they attack you?" Shino Aburame asked Temari. Temari turned to him and glared.

"How should I know that? I don't know anymore than you do! Do you know what it feels like to have your own brother attack you?" I grabbed Temari and held her back before she attacked Shino Aburame herself.

"Calm down Temari!" I commanded to her. She looked at me sharply then slowly began to relax. "Which way did they head? And Hinata Hyuuga?" She shook her head.

"They took her. I followed after them and they headed toward something that reminded me of the swamp." She got up and pointed to the north. "That direction... I couldn't catch up with them, so I decided to head back then I sensed you three. I headed in this direction in hopes to catch you." I nodded to her and stood up.

"We should go after them then!" Kiba Inuzuka growled then he nodded to Akamaru. Akamaru barked at him and sniffed the ground. He growled some but then jumped over to the broken wall then growled again. Sudden fear shot through Temari and I glanced at her in surprise. "Something is wrong. Akamaru can't get the scent. It's been mingled with something... strange." Temari's fear disappeared and was replaced with worry. I narrowed my eyes toward her then looked at Kiba Inuzuka.

"Something... strange?" Shino Aburame asked coming up next to Akamaru.

"Yeah, something doesn't seem right. There's another scent that mingled here hiding the scent of Temari, Hinata, Naruto, and Kankuro. Their scent is here, but it's hard to distinguish it." Kiba Inuzuka growled and got on Akamaru.

"Then we should head towards the north in the direction they went." I suggested coming up next to them with Temari right behind me.

"Yeah! We should hurry..." Kiba Inuzuka faced widened in fear and he pointed behind us. My eyes widened and I turned around at the sudden groaning noise. Behind us where strange creatures that had many arms. They were faceless, pale things that walked towards us in a sluggish manner. I bit my lip slightly; I had never sensed their presence until they were almost upon us. "Ah! That's what's mingled here!"

At Kiba Inuzuka's sudden voice the creatures stopped and focused then began to run toward us. "Run!" I commanded. Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka took off and out of the city walls, Temari glanced at me then shot after them. I shot out a sand of wall towards them sending them back then jumped out of the city walls. Stopping I turned and covered the hole in the wall with sand as best as I could then continued after the others.

"Will they continue after us...?" Temari asked me as I caught up with her.

"They might, do not slow down." She nodded and we upped our speed. I glanced at her feeling the wave of concern, worry, fear, and... My eyes narrowed. The last emotion that could barely be sensed had an evil intent behind it. Confused and concerned I asked nothing as we ran toward the swamps.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru, Neji, Alysa, Itzal, Sasuke, Sakura, Temari, Hinata, Naruto, and Kankuro**_

_**Time: Late Evening, Place: Cyth**_

_**Neji**_

Upon coming to Cyth we eliminated the Harvestman as best as we could. Most of them went down a lot easier than expected from what Itzal had been telling us. Some of them were much harder to take down, but with the amount of people we had with us it had been no problem. Soon we had taken care all of them, and were resting in one of the most decent of the homes.

Alysa, Itzal, and Hinata-sama were cooking the food that we had savaged from the homes. Sakura was tending to our wounds, while the others were keeping a lookout just in case we happened to miss a Harvestman.

"If we keep a regular watch we can prevent any other unexpected things to creep up on us in the middle of the night." Shikamaru began explaining. "It'll be good if two of us kept watch, while the others were sleeping. One should remain in the house, but at the door. The other should remain outside. As far as I've checked this house seems to have only a front door and a few windows at the most."

"Hmm, I'll keep first watch then." Sasuke volunteered. Naruto raised his fist and motioned it toward Sasuke

"I'll keep watch with you then." Sasuke frowned at Naruto then grinned.

"Oh? Trying to make this out to who can do better?"

"You bet, Sasuke!"

"Naruto... Sasuke-kun..." Both looked up at Sakura who had an angered face. I sighed. Those two were always rivaling with each other.

"Ah, Sakura-chan calm down!" Naruto placed up his hands and backed away nervous. Sasuke sighed and looked away.

"Alright, all of you settled down. Watches won't begin until after we eat, and decide to go to sleep." Shikamaru shook his head at the three then looked toward everyone else. "We'll switch watches every hour and a half, so keep track in your head since we have no moon to provide time. Neji you'll take second watch with Alysa. Kankuro and Sakura the third watch. Itzal and Hinata take the fourth watch. Temari and I will take last watch. Since Neji and Hinata have Byakugan, when it comes to your two watches you can decide how it can be set. Everyone else follow the other rule." I nodded to him and everyone else mumbled agreement.

"Ah... everyone... food is ready." Hinata-sama announced and started to give out bowls of food to everyone with Alysa and Itzal.

After the meal Sasuke and Naruto took position. Sasuke remained inside of the house, while Naruto took the outside. Although we were set to sleep, I doubt many of us could or would. I leaned against a wall, and observed everyone in the room. Most were lying down in hopes to sleep, Shikamaru and Temari remained close to each other and actually looked the like the only ones that were sleeping.

I closed my eyes thinking I would sleep would not come to me, but exhaustion took the better of me and I fell asleep almost instantly.

-oO0-o)

"Oi, hey, Neji." I opened my eyes slowly to see Naruto shaking me awake. "Your turn Neji." I nodded to him and got up. Sasuke had already lain down to sleep, and Naruto watched me before heading to sleep himself. "That girl, Alysa, is already out there."

"Hmm." I stretched slightly then headed outside. Looking around I spotted Alysa on the roof and jumped up to her.

"Ah... Neji-kun." She looked up at me then towards the sky. "Snow is coming again." I looked up at the sky and nodded in response then sat down next to her.

"You should head to the ground. I can keep watch up here." She glanced at me, but shook her head and looked at the ground.

"I... I want to tell you something before I do." I blinked at her curiously and cocked my head.

"What is it?"

She looked at me and sighed. "It's... about your other self."

"The one I met in the swamps?" She nodded. "What is it then?" She shifted some under my intense gaze and looked away from me.

"First off, Neji-kun, don't look at me like that. The other Neji-kun always stared at me when he was at my home and it always disturbed me." She shivered some, from the cold or fear, I could not tell.

I looked away and towards the sky. "I am sorry. I will not look at you for the time being then." I heard her shift again then sigh.

"Your other self... he used to live with me and my family. I never knew that he had been created until the very last moment Kumo Konjou used me to get Shikamaru-kun." I resisted the urge to look at the kunoichi as she talked. "As you already know Kumo Konjou created a clone of each one of you, and that they are incomplete. How incomplete, I do not know, but I do know that your other self possessed the ability to do Shadow Possession." I gasped and looked at her.

"How is that possible?" She shook her head at me.

"I do not know, and I don't know if the others besides the other Shikamaru-kun possess it or not. All I know is that Kumo Konjou may have done something..." She closed her eyes tightly and curled up her legs, gripping them.

"Alysa... What is truly going on?" I asked as gently as I could. She turned to me and bit her lip.

"All I know is that Kumo Konjou seeks to head to your world, and destroy it."

I nodded to her, but something nagged on my mind. "Then what is the use of creating the clones if he wishes to just destroy?"

"... He plans to do it slowly. Once the clones kill the original bodies, he can then send them back and get them to go undercover there. When you get absorbed, they'll gain your memories, it's the same for the opposite too." She uncurled herself and stared at the sky. I frowned and also stared at the sky.

"Must we kill our clones to gain access to our world again?"

"Yes... and Kumo Konjou. Otherwise, there is no way back." I gripped my hands and grimaced. It was going to be a lot harder than I had expected. "I... I will go take my position." Alysa stood up and went to over to the edge of the roof. She stopped, turned to me, opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head and turned back around.

"If you have something else to say, say it." She nodded and turned towards me again.

"Neji-kun... I have a favor to ask of you."

-oO0-o)

I looked up at the sky. Dawn was breaking. I took a glance behind me, no one was following. I sighed and glanced at Alysa who was running beside me. She had asked me something that I had refused to do at first, but somehow she was able to convince me. Hopefully the others will not try to come after us. This had to be done by few people, and being in a group as large as we were would have let the enemy seek us easily.

I only hoped things didn't turn out bad.

-oO0-o)

_**Hinata**_

"Dammit... what the hell, Neji..." Shikamaru-san was mumbling over the slip of paper that he had found in the morning of his watch. I was preparing the leftover food from last night to stay out of the way. "This is such a drag..."

"I'm sorry; my sister must have asked him too..." Itzal-san responded to Shikamaru-san with sadness in his voice.

"Meh, there's not much we can do now."

"What!" Naruto-kun shouted making me turn around. "What you mean, not much we can do? We can go after them!" Shikamaru-san frowned at Naruto-kun.

"And do the exact opposite of what they want us to do?" Shikamaru-san shook his head at Naruto-kun and held up the paper in his hand. "The letter said _Alysa and I are heading to where she used to live. There are documents there that will be useful to help us defeat Kumo Konjou and our other selves. Do not follow; a large group would draw unwanted attention._" Naruto-kun frowned and crossed his arms.

"Come on, Naruto. Stop complaining." Sasuke-san mumbled. Naruto-kun turned and glared at Sasuke-san. They both glared at each other before Naruto-kun stomped out of the house. I frowned and gently went after him.

Naruto-kun jumped up onto one of the roofs of the home and sat down with an angered expression on his face. I jumped up to where he was and bit my lip nervously.

"Sigh, Hinata, do you need something?" He asked me. I looked at him then sat down.

"You... you shouldn't be anger... Naruto-kun."

"AH! And why not? He's your cousin, so you should know, but I don't understand why he has to think he's in command all the time or think he can do whatever he wants." Naruto-kun slammed his fist onto the roof and sighed. I watched him sadly then got up and sat next to him.

"Naruto-kun, Neji-nii-san must have thought it would be best to just go alone... He... he might be how you say he is sometimes, but he knows when to not endanger his friends." I looked down hoping Naruto-kun wouldn't be upset with my response. I heard nothing from him and almost thought it was true when a small laugh come forth.

"Ah, I guess you're right, Hinata." He got up and stretched. "Since he's already gone, there's not much we can do about. Sure Itzal probably knows where they are headed, but no reason to split us up anymore, right? Even if his attitude pisses me off." He looked at me and smiled. I blinked then smiled as well at him and nodded.

I got up and we both were about to head back to the house when we heard a vicious growl. I looked around trying to find the source then pointed towards the entrance of the town. "Naruto-kun!"

"Ah! It's Kiba and Akamaru! They're being surrounded by those creepy creatures. C'mon Hinata!" Naruto-kun jumped off the roof and ran toward them.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, wait!" I bit my lip then followed after him. When we got to Kiba-kun and Akamaru they were struggling to keep the monsters off. Naruto-kun and I charged forward and attacked the monsters. Fortunately, for us there were only a couple and soon we took care of them. Kiba-kun and Akamaru were panting furiously and looked injured badly.

"Kiba, Akamaru! Are you two alright?" Naruto-kun asked them as he came up to them. Kiba-kun looked up at Naruto then dropped to the ground, collapsing. "Ah! Hinata, go get Sakura-chan!" I nodded and ran off back towards the house.

-oO0-o)

"Ah, you two are lucky to be alive." Sakura-san concluded as she finished healing Kiba-kun and Akamaru. "It's lucky that Naruto went outside in a bad mood, and that Hinata followed him. If it wasn't for these two, you'd be dead." Kiba-kun glared at Sakura-san and sighed.

"I know that, but tch, I didn't ask them to save me."

"Kiba! You ungrateful-" Naruto-kun began, but didn't finish because Sakura-san punched him in the face.

"Naruto, shut up!" Sakura-san glared at Naruto-kun then began to examine Kiba-kun again.

"Meh, what happened? Why are you guys out here?" Shikamaru-san asked coming up to them. Kiba-kun looked over at Shikamaru.

"Because, Shikamaru-sam..." Kiba-kun stopped himself then cleared his throat. "Because I was trying to find a place to stay! Akamaru and I have been traveling in the bare cold the entire time we've been here."

"I see..." Shikamaru-san nodded to him, but he didn't look convinced. Something else was on his mind. Kiba-kun watched after Shikamaru-san then sighed. "Kiba, eat then rest." I blinked at the strictness and command that coated Shikamaru-san's voice.

"Fine..." Kiba-kun replied with no reluctance. I cocked my head, confused. Kiba-kun usually didn't take orders from anyone, even Shino-kun.

I got up, gave Kiba-kun and Akamaru food, and then sat down by myself thinking. Something to me was wrong about Kiba-kun and Akamaru, but I couldn't place it.

Everything about them was normal; they were even wearing the clothes I was used to. Alysa-san had said that there were others out there that looked exactly like us, but were completely different in their sense of mind. Of course, she also said that they could pretend to be the other person, and try to fool us.

I glanced over at Kiba-kun and Akamaru. Were they the clones, or the originals?

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Tenten and Choji, Time: Afternoon, Place: Agana, near Usha Lake**_

_**Tenten**_

"Lee!" I sighed relief when I noticed the person who I had sensed earlier was only Lee. He came up to us with his normal smiling face.

Lee hugged me and I had to use a lot of force to get him off. "Tenten! It is good to see you are alright, and Choji-san too." Choji smiled at Lee in response.

"Yeah, I was starting to think we were the only ones around here..." I sighed again and sat down, slightly exhausted. "Lee, have you found anyone else?"

"No, you two are the first ones I have come across." He sat down in front of me then looked at my hands. "What have you found there, Tenten?"

I blinked at him. "Oh! The book, it's a journal that a fake Neji has made." He blinked in surprise then his face turned into a frown/confusion.

"A fake Neji?"

"Yeah, there are fake people out there that look like us." Choji piped in. Lee looked up at him, his confusion not disappearing.

"Lee, here, read it." I handed the book to him and he slowly began to read it. I watched as his expression changed several times, it was mostly of surprise, but sometimes I could see a hint of frustration, or that could have been imagination. He handed the book back to me and crossed his arms.

"That is very strange. Had you not shown me that, I would not have believed it to be true." I nodded to him then took out the picture, and handed it to him. "What is this?"

"It's the picture of the family were we found these notebooks in. That, we believe, is the fake Neji in the picture."

"They look exactly the same!" I nodded. "I see... so there are others that do look like us. We should be careful then."

I nodded again then stood up. That feeling of being watched shivered down my spine. I didn't have that feeling when we were at the house, but being back out in the forest gave me that feeling all over again. "Lee, Choji, we should keep going."

"Where is the destination, Tenten?" Lee asked as we started to walk. I pulled out the map and pointed to Cyth.

"We're going there to help Itzal. You read that entry, I believe that something really bad has happened to him and that he could be in trouble."

"I see. That is a good plan, Tenten. If we could help him then maybe we can provide clues for us! Let us hurry!" Lee began to run and I groaned in protest then ran after him with Choji behind. Lee was energetic as usual.

-oO0-o)

We arrived at a lake, which I believe was called Usha, and sat down to rest. Running with Lee always made me exhausted. I glanced over in his direction to see him doing his normal exercises he liked to do, and watching him just made me even more exhausted. I sighed and stood up motioning that we should be heading out. He jumped to his feet and saluted me and started to run again.

"Wait, Lee! Not so fast!" He stopped and smiled sheepishly at me.

"Sorry, Tenten, I was in a hurry to help the boy that I couldn't help myself..." I sighed again shaking my head this time. Choji laughed at us and ran to catch up with Lee. I lagged behind, mumbling to myself, but that's when I felt it.

Stopping, I looked around carefully trying to figure out what was around us. There was an enemy, but I couldn't place it. I looked down at the water's surface wondering if the enemy was in the water, but there seemed to be nothing there. I stood there looking at my reflection in the water when I noticed that there was something behind me. My eyes widened when I heard a groan making me turn swiftly behind.

"KYAH!" I shouted as a hideous monster with no eyes, mouth, and spider-like arms tackled me into the water. I struggled with it, and was able to push it off. I came to the surface to see that Choji and Lee were having trouble with monsters as well. I swam to the bank and run over to help them when something hard hit my head and I fell to the ground groaning in pain.

"TENTEN!" I heard Lee shout before I fell unconscious.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Ino and Lee, Time: Afternoon Place: Angra Mainyu**_

_**Lee**_

"KYAH!" I turned around with Neji, and blinked at Ino-san as she screamed out. I rushed back over and looked to see her squirming in what looked like pain, while Shikamaru-kun was only sighing.

"Is something the matter, Ino-san?" I asked with great concern. Shikamaru-kun waved me off.

"No, she just stepped in the bog." He said frowning at her.

"JUST STEPPED IN THE BOG?" Ino-san glared at Shikamaru-kun, went over to him, and grabbed his shirt collar. "I DIDN'T JUST STEP IN THE BOG; I COATED MY LEG IN GROSS STUFF!" He placed his fingers in his ears, ignoring her. A small smile came to my face. Ino-san was just being herself.

"Ino-san, here." I took out a cloth and handed it to her. She glared at me for a second then blinked gratefully at me.

"Ah... T-thanks, Lee." I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. Shikamaru-kun shook his head rolling his eyes.

"Ino, you should just forget that, we're almost to the temple...Do it there." Ino-san glared again at Shikamaru-kun, but said nothing. Neji motioned us and we began to walk again. It had been a full day of walking, and Ino-san had been angered all the same. I was in high spirits, but on alert at the same time because of Shikamaru-kun and Neji.

Ino-san believed that these two were fakes, and I believed that she was correct. There was no doubt about that these were not the real Shikamaru-kun and Neji. They acted too different, and their stories did not add up.

They had told us that they had been ambushed by their "other selves", and that their "other selves" must have switched clothes with them to trick the others. It was not conclusive enough to prove they were not the fake ones. Ino-san and I had to figure it out for sure, but we had to do it in a discrete manner in order to not get caught by them. We were going to figure this out.

Soon we arrived at the temple, and it looked the same as the first time we had came upon it so many days ago.

"So here it is, Ino. Now that you've seen it, can we leave?" Shikamaru-kun mumbled in frustration. Ino-san was cleaning off her leg with the cloth I had given her. She ignored Shikamaru-kun until she was done with her leg.

"No! I haven't investigated it yet!" She shouted as she ran up the steps. I ran up after her, and looked back to see that Neji and Shikamaru-kun were not following us.

"_Strange."_ I thought. _"Why are they not coming?"_ I stopped and looked down at them; a confused expression came to my face.

Shikamaru-kun stared up at me then grinned. "Heh." Suddenly his eyes turned both to that of spiders, and so did that of Neji's eyes. My eyes widened when I realized what was going on, and I turned to shout to Ino-san about it, but something struck me in the back so fast that I had not the time to recollect what was happening.

I fell to the ground panting for breath. I heard Ino-san scream making me lift up my head. "Ino-san!" I shouted before something hit my head, hard, making me lose consciousness.

-oO0-o)0

I groaned and opened my eyes to darkness. My head and back hurt. I moved my arms to bring to my head, but for some reason they would not move. I twisted them and realized that they were tied up. I looked around trying to find out where I was.

"Uuuh..." I heard a groan and focused on it. A shape moved and groaned again. I focused my eyes to see that it was Ino-san.

"Ino-san!" I looked down to make sure my legs were free before getting up and going over to her. I knelt beside her and gently pushed her awake with my leg. "Ino-san." She blinked several times groaning at the same time before sitting up.

"L-lee...?" She asked looking blankly at me.

"Ah, are you alright?" She shook her head.

"No, I feel like the world is spinning, ugh..."

"It seems we were correct though. Shikamaru-kun and Neji were not the real ones." Ino-san looked at me with surprise then a serious expression came to her face.

"Dammit..."

"Hehe, I'm surprised that you two figured it out so fast." I looked up and noticed a faint light coming from above us. Shikamaru-kun was looking down at us behind steel bars.

"Shikamaru!" Ino-san got up and glared furiously at Shikamaru-kun. He only laughed at her.

"My, my such a scary look. Heh, sorry Ino, but it's best if you stay in there for now. We'll come back for you later." He grinned at us then dropped the light source in his hand down at us and walked away. Ino-san sat down and sighed greatly.

"This isn't fair!" She groaned. I sat next to her and looked up.

"Truly it isn't, but Ino-san, he said that he will come back for us later. We must get out here before he does." She looked at me with blank expression then nodded slowly. I clenched my arms and pulled at the ropes in hopes to break them. Then a snap was heard, and my arms were free. Quickly I untied Ino-san's arms, grabbed the light source, and began to look for a way out.

If there was a way in, there was definitely a way out! But what could Shikamaru-kun and Neji's plan be to capture us? I could not figure it out. If they were merely fakes then why not just kill us to get us out of the way?

"Ah, Lee! Over here, this wall seems hollow. Kick it down?" Ino-san asked me kindly. I grinned at her and she got out of the way.

"_Konoha Senpuu!"_ I hit the wall and it broke down with great force. The wall came crashing down onto the ground and revealed what looked like a tunnel. I frowned and looked around the room. Someone had most likely have heard that crash. "Hurry, Ino-san!" She ran into the tunnel and I ran after handing her light source. Hopefully this would lead to a way out, if not, we would have to fight our way out if it came to it!


	14. Schemes Revealed

I have no real excuse other than saying real life can make you lose inspiration to do what you would like to do.

Again, it's been close to a year since last update.

_And yes, I do indeed tend to contradict myself many times of what I am actually doing with this story. Bad habit._

_Also, all chapters have been edited, things changed to what they need to be. Corrections made on mistyped conversations, details, and such._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kiba, Shino, and Gaara. Time: Late Afternoon. Place: Angra Mainyu**_

_**Shino**_

We stopped to catch our breath just at the edge of the swamp. The monsters that had followed after us had been able to get past the sand wall Gaara had placed up. They were dangerously fast, able to catch up with us even with the time we had getting ahead.

"GAH! What are these things made of?" Kiba growled as he jumped away from one of the monsters almost getting sliced. It did not seem like he made much damage, although he did manage to knock quite a few into the bog.

Gaara and Temari managed better than Kiba, while I was able to keep the creatures away from us that tried to come at our sides.

"Gaara, Temari, Kiba. We should head deeper into the swamp." I suggested as I jumped back landing near them. Gaara looked to me and nodded then turned and headed deeper in. I waited until Temari, Kiba, and Akamaru headed after Gaara before I followed.

After a few minutes of running, I turned to look back then stopped. "Wait." My friends stopped and looked to me. "They have not followed."

"Are you sure about that Shino?" Kiba glared at me clearly unhappy.

"Do you see them?" I asked him. He looked around me then shook his head. "Perhaps they do not like the swamp…"

"Oh what kind of conclusion is-"

"You are right, Shino." A familiar voice interrupted Kiba and we turned to see Shikamaru with Neji standing before us. I stared concerned if this was the real Shikamaru and Neji, but Akamaru and Kiba both started growling. That instant I knew they had to be the clones. I placed my hands up with my insects ready to come out, but Shikamaru placed a hand up making my eyes narrow. "You're pointing that in the wrong direction." He said with a grin.

Strong winds suddenly accumulated behind us. Turning quickly I saw Temari swing her fan and blast me, Gaara, Kiba, and Akamaru through the trees. Somehow without my notice Temari had gotten behind us. As I collided with a tree I heard it crack and fall over. My body hurt some, but thanks to my insects at the last second they covered my body as a shield so I took less damage.

"Hehehe. I'm surprised you thought I was her. Tch. Only the mutt knew." It was Temari's voice and in response I heard Akamaru growl. I was slightly disoriented and opened my eyes to see sand swirl out and after Temari. She dodged easily and swung her fan again to repel the sand, only to be attacked from behind. Quickly I scanned the area with my eyes even though that made my head hurt. Kiba and Akamaru were engaged with the Shikamaru and Neji clones, and they were winning while Gaara and Temari fought with no indication of who was winning there.

With the help of my insects, I got up and ran toward Kiba in order to help, but the instant I went to strike Shikamaru I froze. My hand was inches from his face, but I could not move. He must have stopped me with his jutsu, so on command I told my insects to wrap around Shikamaru. His eyes widen as they swarmed around him and I was able to move again. As they took care of him I turned to see where Neji had gone, but only to see Kiba and Akamaru unconscious on the ground.

"Kiba!" I ran towards him but sudden pain in the back of my neck made me fall over. I coughed several times realizing I had become careless. Neji must have gotten behind me and struck. As I tried to get up a foot slammed into my back pushing me down and my face right into the bog. I started to suffocate as the swamp water filled my mouth.

The back of my head was grabbed and I was pulled out of the water. I coughed greatly as I struggled to get out of the grip, but in result my head was forced back under the water. Again, water filled my mouth and started to burn my lungs as I was held under. I heard what sounded like voices before I was brought out of the water, and thrown to the side.

"I was having fun." I heard Neji's voice to my right. It was coated with a sadistic tone.

"I saw, but you can't be killing him. Remember that? Even if his insects are viciously nasty." Shikamaru's voice addressed Neji's with obvious authority.

"Yes, I understand Shikamaru-sama." I coughed trying to get water out of my mouth and slowly began to sit up, but was forced to the ground. "Can't have you moving." I felt too sick to communicate with my insects. I struggled, but suddenly felt pain to my neck and I hit the ground vision going dark.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Ino and Lee. Time: Unknown. Place: Unknown.**_

_**Ino**_

"Lee… I think we're lost." I sighed sliding against a wall. Lee stopped what he was doing and came toward me kneeling down.

"I am sure this is the right way though, Ino-san. This path does not look familiar." Right way my ass. I looked up at Lee giving him a look of disdain. He backed away from me then sighed.

After we had escaped from our cell it had been nothing but endless tunnels of icky webs, bugs, spiders, moss, and all the other sort of disgusting things. I was glad for our light source, although that was going out. I would have used my Mind Transfer Jutsu if it wasn't the fact that all the creatures in here were disgusting things. I had no intention of sharing the body of one of those.

Sighing, I slowly got to my feet and looked around. "Hey, Lee… Have you noticed that no one has come after us?" Lee turned to me, surprise on his face. "I mean, we made such a loud noise when escaping that they would have immediately came after us right?"

"That is what I had thought as well, Ino-san, but it seems as if we have been lucky so far."

"Lucky… or…" My eyes widen and I looked around frantically. "Lee! What if they let us escape on purpose?"

"What would be their gain in doing that?"

"I don't know! But look, they left us this light and you were easily able to break out of your ropes. Think about it. If there was a fake Neji and Shikamaru then there must definitely be fake ones of us too. Meaning that they would definitely know our strengths and weaknesses…" I concluded dreadfully.

Lee's expression became one of understanding and he placed a hand to his chin. "That does make sense. Maybe we should outsmart them!" I gave him a weird expression "If they want us to escape then we will just let them think we are trying to do just that."

"Huh? I don't get what you mean…"

"In a sense we are trying to escape, but we need to outsmart them as we escape. When they try to capture us again, we will be prepared for whatever method they use!" He grinned at me. It… sort of made sense, although it was a weird logic.

"I guess we can go-" Suddenly I felt the ground below me disappear and I screamed as I grabbed the side of the wall. I felt Lee's hands grab mine and pull me up. I turned to see a hole where I had just been. "Maybe we should move…"

"Right!" Lee held onto my hand and we began to run.

Soon, we began to run into many dead-ends and tunnels that were too small to use. At one point we had to stop completely because our only way to go had holes forcing us to back track. Eventually we came right back where we had started: Our cell.

I groaned and fell to my butt. "This is hopeless! We've been going in circles…"

"Just like how we wanted." My eyes widen and I looked up at the sound of Shikamaru's voice then the tunnel we had come from abruptly collapsed forcing us to be stuck in the cell. I stood up quickly and glared at Shikamaru.

"Why make us do that then?" I asked, very angry. Lee came to my side and gripped his hands.

Shikamaru blinked slowly at me then grinned. "For fun."

"What? For fun? How sadistic can you be!" I was really starting to hate this Shikamaru. I wanted the one I knew back.

"Not as sadistic as Neji." He laughed then pulled up the steel bars. I braced myself for an attack, although what came rushing down at us surprised me.

"Ah! Ino-san it is Kiba-kun, Akamaru, Gaara-kun, and Shino-kun!" I blinked several times then knelt next to them. They were unconscious. I looked up at Shikamaru glaring as he dropped the bars, locking them.

"What have you done to them, Shikamaru?"

"Just knocked them at. No worries Ino… We aren't killing them… yet." With another laugh he walked off. I gripped my hands then began to administer first aid to the four.

-oO0-o)

_**Kiba**_

_Where…am I?_ I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark. I couldn't see anything except a flicker of light that was very dim. Groaning I slowly sat up.

"Ah! Kiba-kun is awake." My head turned to the right at the sound of my name. Squinting my eyes and sniffing the air I tried to figure out who it was.

"…Lee?"

"HOSH! Correct, Kiba-kun!" Yeah, definitely Lee. I sniffed around. I smelled the scents of Gaara, Shino, Akamaru, and Ino. I also smelled the scents from the temple we had first came into. Rubbing my head I closed my eyes with a groan.

"Where are we?"

"It's a stupid cell that the fake Shikamaru and Neji threw us in." Ino answered my question.

"Great. How do we get out?"

"We don't. Lee and I already tried and we ended back here." I heard Ino sigh in frustration. I mumbled and fell backwards lying on my back.

Several minutes later Gaara and Shino woke up. They asked the same things I did to Ino who was irritated. Akamaru rubbed his head against mine before lying with me. It was silent in the cell, and the air was tense. I gripped my hands feeling frustrated then got up with Akamaru standing with me. Everyone looked at me giving me a look. I turned to Akamaru and nodded to him before getting down on all fours.

"Everyone move to a safe corner!" I commanded as Akamaru changed into his man-beast form. Shino stood up and frowned while everyone else moved away.

"Kiba, we will gain attention if we do that. I have already sent out my insects to-"

"Too slow!" I interrupted Shino then took a deep breath and looked upward.

"_GATSUGA!"_ Akamaru and I flew into the walls trying to do as much damage as we could. Dust flew everywhere and eventually we came to a stop. I looked around as the dust settled and my eyes widened.

We barely did anything. I growled and nodded to Akamaru and tried again. Same result. We kept trying until we were exhausted. I fell down breathing hard while Akamaru turned back. Shino only shook his head at me making me sneer in his direction.

"Pathetic." I growled again and was going to attack whoever said, but then I realized it had come from above. I looked up quickly to see Neji grinning at me. With a quick leap I jumped up, grabbed the bars, reached through, and grabbed Neji by his shirt collar. His eyes widened as he tried to pull away.

"I'd like to see you say that to my face again!" I gripped harder and pulled him down more trying to get a better grip, but he pulled out a kunai and cut off what I was holding and jumped away. I snarled at him and hung there. "Get back here you coward!"

"Kiba! Get down." It was Shino. No way was I gonna listen to him. I shook at the bars trying to break through them. Not working.

"My, my so hot-headed." Temari's voice floated over and I saw her appear, but not near the bars. I glared at her not responding. "You won't get out of there. It's specialized in such a way to prevent any of your type of jutsus form working."

"Tch! I think I can give you a lesson on jutsus working or not. Get down here and I'll demonstrate!" I grinned and stayed hanging on the bars. She laughed and shook her head.

"I'm not that stupid boy."

"No? I just thought you were some stupid blond. Obviously you can't think for yourself if you're getting in trouble left to right. You can't even follow-" Suddenly the bars opened up as I was hanging onto it. It was unexpected so as the bar came up so did I, but at the speed it did I was thrown across the room and into a wall. I heard the bars shut back down. Groaning in protest I slowly sat up and glared over.

Temari came over and picked me up by my throat shoving me against the wall. My eyes widened and I gripped her hand digging nails in to try and get myself free. I was vaguely aware of the voices of my friends from below, and it made me struggle greater.

"Temari!" Shikamaru yelled and everyone became silent. The grip on my neck loosened then let go. I dropped to my knees coughing several times. I looked up with a fierce look of hate in my eyes. Shikamaru came up to Temari who looked at him angrily. "Control your temper! Or so help me I will kill you here." There was such authority in Shikamaru's voice that it frightened me slightly. Temari bowed her head then gripped her hands walking away from me, but remaining near. Shikamaru came over to me, pulled me to my feet, and then dropped me back into the cell. Akamaru caught me and whimpered. I coughed again and Ino came over checking me over.

Gaara came over and looked up through the bars. "What are you going to do with us?"

"Leave you there until your double comes to kill you." Shikamaru answered.

"You plan to kill us all at once?"

"Something like that."

"What will you do? You cannot kill Shikamaru." Shikamaru gave a frown at Gaara and blinked slowly then smirked.

"Who told you that?"

"We heard buddy!" I lifted my fist into the air. I heard a laugh and saw Temari come into view.

"Oh, yes of course. Silly boys. That wasn't real." I frowned at her. "What you heard between me and Kumo Konjou-sama was all an act to throw you off! With that information it led you exactly where we wanted, and we got you exactly how you are now."

Standing up straight I was about to jump back up, but Shino held me back shaking his head. Gaara took a deep breath and stared up blankly. "Are you going to gather everyone up and bring us all back to the temple?"

"Yes. Now be good little boys and girls and wait for your friends to arrive." Shikamaru and Temari walked off leaving us to think. I plopped to the floor placing a hand to my chin with a glum expression.

"So… we're all going to die…?" I heard Ino utter weakly. I looked over at her then down. Gripping my other hand I slowly stood up.

"No. We're going to get out of here and back home!" She looked at me with uncertainty. Lee gave me a thumbs up.

"Kiba-kun is right! We will definitely get out of here." Ino looked between both of us.

"What makes you two so sure?" I grinned at her and cracked my knuckles.

"Because. Our friends are out there, and they're not going to give up, so we shouldn't either. They obviously have to move us out of this cell to kill us, right? Well that's when we take our chance and strike!" I looked up and through the bars. "There is no way they can take us all down. They may look like us, have our abilities, but they aren't us! They're arrogant thinking they've already won, and oh how wrong they are."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Tenten and Choji. Time: Evening. Place: Morton**_

_**Tenten**_

I groaned several times as I felt the swaying of my legs. Opening my eyes I looked up to see Lee's face. "Lee?" I mumbled. He came to a stop and looked down at him giving me a smile.

"Thank goodness you are awake, Tenten! I was beginning to worry after that attack. You have been asleep for so long." His voice was cheerful, and hurt my ears.

"What… attacked?" I couldn't recall what he was talking about.

"When we were at the lake, Tenten-san." Choji's head came into my view. He had a worried expression on his face. "Those strange monsters attacked us. We were almost outnumbered then Kankuro-san saved us."

_Kankuro? He's here?_ I felt my face warm up as Kankuro's face came into view. He smiled down at me. "Lee… Put me down. I can walk." Lee placed me down and I brushed myself off then looked around. "Where are we?"

"I think the desert land." Kankuro answered me making me turn to him. "After I saved you guys at the lake, Choji showed me where you guys were trying to head to. It's taken us across this place which I think is called Morton according to that map. I think if we keep heading in this direction it will lead us to Cyth."

"Oh good. Hopefully Itzal is still there…" I breathed a sigh of relief that we were out of danger and still heading in the right direction.

"Itzal?" Kankuro asked with a frown on his face.

"Oh it's the boy we are trying to find." Choji answered before me. "We think he's the younger brother of that kunoichi that brought us here."

"And you want to go and find him? If she's the one that caused this mess than he can't be any better than her!"

"Wait, Kankuro." I came in front of him. "Alysa isn't bad. I think she was just under the influence of the creepy spider spirit." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Really? How did you come to that conclusion?" I nodded to Choji and he brought out the notebook we found at the house. Then I began to explain to Kankuro everything we had concluded. Eventually he understood and sighed.

"Great. So there's someone running around looking like me. Tch. Guess I'll just have to go and kill them."

"You think that's wise, Kankuro-san?" Lee asked. "They are us. What if that has a bad affect?" Kankuro slowly turned to Lee and gave him a blank expression.

"What kind of affect would that be?"

"We could cause a corrupt in Time causing all of the parallel worlds coming to a crashing end! We'd be stuck in a world of nothing to where we will eventually die, and this world will collapse with us!"

We all stared at him blankly before I hit him hard on the head.

"Lee! Stop making up weird things! You're starting to freak me out every time you do that." I frowned at him. He rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Tenten…"

"Now that the idiot has confirmed what will NOT happen. Can we go?" I looked at Kankuro and gave him a nod. He turned and began walking. "I can't tell you the distance or how long it's going to take to get to Cyth though…"

"Well that's okay." I came up next to Kankuro. "As long as we can get there." Confident, I picked up my pace in hopes to get there faster. I really hoped that Itzal was in good hands and safe.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru, Itzal, Sasuke, Sakura, Temari, Hinata, Naruto, and Kankuro**_

_**Time: Early Morning. Place: Cyth**_

_**Shikamaru**_

"Alright. Now that we've encountered Kiba and Akamaru I think it's about time we move out." I suggested as everyone began to wake up.

"What about Neji and Alysa?" Naruto asked me as he stretched. "Are we going to leave them behind?" I shook my head at him.

"Neji can find us anytime, plus he has Alysa with him so she'll have an idea where we plan to head out."

"And where exactly is that?" Sasuke asked me coming up next to Naruto.

Closing my eyes I tried to recall the areas Alysa had told us about. Céleste was out of the way to go to since we had already got confirmation from Temari that there was no one else in that city besides the three she had came with. We already thoroughly checked Cyth and Nereza. That left the lake, forest, desert, river, bogs, and…

"The swamp." I opened my eyes and turned to Kiba. "Maybe we should try there."

"The swamp? Are you serious Kiba? Shikamaru said there was no one there already." Naruto made a face at Kiba whom glared back at Naruto. I sighed and shook my head. Going to the swamp wasn't exactly my first choice, but the temple was there. If we could find any information it could be at that temple. Although Neji and Alysa said they were heading to Alysa's home to get information on our clones. I could change my mind and make us stay here and wait for them, but we needed to keep moving. We still had to find Gaara, Ino, Choji, Lee, Tenten, and Shino. That was six people… and they could be anywhere.

Kiba and Naruto started to argue aimlessly while Sasuke and Hinata tried calming them down. Ignoring them, I took out the _Myths of Kumo Konjou_ and flipped to the back looking at the map. Itzal came up next to me and looked over my shoulder at the book. I traced with my finger where we were and where we had been. Looking at the map carefully I noticed how the river connected too many areas, not just Céleste. Perhaps we could follow that, it might lead to areas where we could find our friends. I decided that was the best course before closing the book.

"We are going to follow Avdima River?" Itzal asked me. I turned to him and gave a small nod then stood up and waved my hands at Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, and Hinata.

"Hey you four. Pay attention. I figured out where we are heading." As I spoke they stopped arguing and looked at me. "We're going to follow the river. Besides giving us a supply of water, it also connects with different places."

"Eh. I guess that makes sense…" Kiba mumbled and glared at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Obviously their argument was far from over. I told everyone else that hadn't been in the house where we were heading before waiting outside for everyone to get ready. I leaned against the house and stared up at the dark snowy sky.

Footsteps approached me and I gave a smile knowing who it was. Temari's head softly lay on my shoulder, and her hand reached down grabbing mine. She intertwined our fingers together before leaning the rest of her body against mine. I laid my head on top of hers before closing my eyes. Her sweet smell drifted to my nose making me completely relax, and forget what was going on at this very moment. I never wanted this feeling to end.

What seemed like ages had only been moments as our friends began to gather outside of the house. I forced myself out of the comfort and stood up straight looking around at everyone.

They all had serious expressions on their faces. Some with fear in their eyes, others with confidence. Whatever emotion shown in their eyes, there was one emotion they all shared. Trust. They all trusted me to get us out of here and safely home even though it was my fault we had been brought to this place.

No. That was wrong to think. It was Kumo Konjou who had brought us here and wanted us dead. Looking at everyone I turned my back and began to walk out of Cyth. Their trust gave me courage to lead them home.

-oO0-o)

Finally, the river. I sat down next to it and took a few gulps. Luckily for us it hadn't started snowing giving us a clear walk to the river. Everyone was resting around me while Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura went off to find food. Sasuke and Kankuro kept constant watch around us. Itzal stayed near Sasuke seeming to attach to him, which seemed odd to me. The only persons that stayed away from the others were Kiba and Akamaru. I narrowed my eyes at them before standing up.

"Is it time to head out again?" Temari asked me. I looked down at her and shook my head. Then whispered to her.

"I think there is something off with Kiba. He tried calling me Shikamaru-sama while in Cyth." Temari blinked at me then frowned. "I'm thinking he's the clone."

"A clone?" She glanced toward Kiba and gave a small glare. "Should we interrogate him then?"

"I would, but that might result in him attacking us. With Kiba, he can do some damage even with all of us here. As Alysa said, we can't kill anyone else's clones, only our own. That makes it harder to do damage to him." I sighed and began to walk towards Kiba. "I will, however; get him to confirm my suspicious without him…" I stopped walking when I saw Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata running toward us with a panic look on their faces.

"Shikamaru-san!" Hinata came up to me breathing in and out quickly. Everyone else came up and surrounded the three concerned. "Someone is approaching. It's a group of four people. I don't know who they are though."

"Is there no way to tell?" Kiba asked. Hinata shook her head at him. "Then we'll just have to face them head on! Which way are they coming from?" Hinata pointed behind her and Kiba turned to go in that direction.

"Kiba, stop." I commanded with high authority in my voice and he froze immediately. "Don't be an idiot and get yourself killed. Stay with the group." He gave me a slight nod, but remained silent. I got my confirmation. I walked up to Kiba and placed a hand on his shoulder turning him around.

"Now what?" He asked avoiding my eyes.

"Where is everyone else?" I was getting straight to the point. He looked at me confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah what are you talking about Shikamaru?" Naruto asked coming up next to me. "Like Kiba is going to know the answer to that."

"Shut up Naruto!" I glared at him and he flinched before glaring back then I turned back to Kiba. "I know who and what you are. Stop pretending." Kiba stared at me for a long time before a small grin came to his face.

"I guess I screwed that up, eh?" He shoved me away and jumped away with Akamaru. "Just because you know won't get you anywhere!"

"What's going on here?" Sasuke and Naruto asked at the same time.

"This isn't the Kiba we know!" I answered gripping my hands. "It's his clone." Everyone turned toward Kiba and got into an attack position. He laughed at us and leaned forward on Akamaru.

"Aggressive bunch aren't you? If I hadn't screwed up with your name, Shikamaru-sama, you all would have been completely oblivious!" He laughed again and stared at us lazily.

Sakura went to attack him, but Sasuke grabbed her in time. I sighed relief. "We can't attack him… That's for Kiba to do."

"Grr. He's pissing me off though! Acting so arrogant…" Sakura gripped her hands but didn't move again.

"Aw, poor little Sakura is getting mad." He was trying to antagonize her to attack, but with Sasuke holding Sakura's arm he wasn't about to get through. "Ya know Shikamaru-sama… if you had just followed my advice you would have been right with your friends."

I frowned. _What advice was that?_ I wondered before it hit me. Earlier he had mentioned to head to the swamps.

"The swamps huh. So that's it." I shook my head. "You were leading us into a trap. If we had chosen that route, Kumo Konjou would have us exactly where he wanted."

"Oh! Smart, smart." All the while we were arguing I forgot about Hinata's warning. Four people came up next to Kiba and Akamaru tensed up and ready to attack.

Tenten, Choji, Lee… and Kankuro. Great. Another clone. I heard both of the Kankuro's gasp.

"Kiba… is that…" The Kankuro on Kiba's side began to ask. Kiba turned to Kankuro and gave a grin.

"No use acting innocent. They already figured it out." Kankuro's face went from shock to a horrible grin. Quickly without warning he grabbed Tenten from behind and placed a kunai to her throat.

"Wah! Wh-what are you doing, Kankuro?" Tenten, not understanding that the Kankuro holding her was a fake didn't struggle. She looked between the two Kankuro's with a scared expression. "Why… is there two of you… Is that the clone over there?" He knelt close to her ear and whispered into it. Her eyes widened and she began to struggle. With a nod to Sasuke he vanished and appeared next to Kankuro and struck out his hand to attack, but Lee came out of nowhere and kicked him away.

"Hosh! Not a chance Sasuke-kun." He grinned then went over and grabbed Choji. Who struggled in his grasp before being knocked unconscious. Sasuke growled and Naruto appeared next to him. Kankuro looked at the two and held the kunai closer to Tenten's neck.

"Move any closer and she dies. One death isn't too hard to deal with. Now slowly turn around and-"

"Kankuro let her go!" At the command of my voice he did and took a step back. With the opening Tenten grabbed Choji and jumped away from Lee, Kankuro, and Kiba clones. Kankuro waved his fist in the air as Tenten came over to Sakura.

"Heh. Figuring out that Shikamaru-sama leads us and that we obey him, are you? You're definitely very intelligent. Well since I'm here I might as well take care of my double." Cracking his neck he stepped forward and motioned a hand toward Kankuro. Kankuro took a few steps forward and placed a hand on one of his scrolls. "Ready to die?"

"Only if you die first."

I looked between them and everyone tensed up and backed away slowly from the two Kankuro's. Since we weren't allowed to kill him all we could do was watch. The only time I would think to interfere if our Kankuro was going to get the death blow.

A sudden red blaze of the sun flooded across the snowy lands turning the snow to a blood red. At that instant the two puppeteers charged toward each other ready to start a puppet hell.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Neji and Alysa. Time: Morning. Place: Agana, Alysa's home.**_

_**Neji**_

"They're gone!" Alysa shouted in frustration as she fell to her knees to the dark room. We had finally came to her home, much to my surprise at the burnt damage. I had anticipated this because she had told me, but not to the extent it was. I came up next to her and looked around.

"Do you suppose my clone came and took it?" I asked as I knelt next to her. She stared at the floor not answering. I sighed and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alysa." At the sound of her name she looked up at me. "Relax. Let me look around to see if I can find anything to indicate who came here." She only gave me a slight nod and turned to looking at the floor. I got up and headed outside first.

Looking around the home I found a vegetable garden that had its vegetables recently taken. Finding nothing else I came back in and looked around the kitchen. Signs of someone trying to cook something were present, so was the indication that two people had been here. I walked to the back of the home coming to two doors and a blockage of snow. Looking to my left and right I saw two doors with the names Itzal and Alysa. _Their rooms…I wonder how much damage was these have taken._ I entered Itzal's room first seeing only that one person had entered before I carefully opened Alysa's door.

Unlike her brother's room, hers was not burnt and two people had been in here. Noting this in my head I headed back to Alysa and knelt down next to her.

"Alysa… I think I can conclude that the people that were in this home were not clones." She looked up at him having a flicker of hope in her eyes.

"Then… who?" She finally spoke, although her voice was low. I shook my head not knowing.

"All I can say is that someone tried to cook food here, and took a look around themselves. I doubt any clone would need to cook food, and if they were coming for those documents then they wouldn't have needed to look through your brother's room and yours." She gave a frown at me then her eyes widen and she got up quickly heading toward the rooms. I followed after her as she looked into Itzal's room then her own. She gave a better inspection of her room then slumped down in front of a drawer.

Coming over to her I placed a hand on her. She looked up at me. "Neji-kun… They took my brother's dolls, and photograph of my family…"

"Why would they take those?" I looked around the room wondering again why it wasn't burnt. "And why is your room and the black room the only ones not burnt?" She slowly got up then went over and sat on her bed; I came over and sat next to her waiting for an explanation.

"Your first question… What you said is probably right and your friends somehow found a way into the Neji-sama's room…" Whenever she referred to my clone she called him Neji-sama. That made it easier for me to know who she was talking about. "They may have realized my brother was in danger and took his dolls to him. Since he fled to Cyth we could have just missed them. And the reason that room is not burnt is because of the precious information held in there…" She curled up and stared at the floor.

"Did… my clone burn your home?" I dared to ask when she paused. She gave a light nod. "And he didn't burn your room…?"

"Because he had wanted me alive. He tried to burn the home while we were all sleeping in hopes to kill my parents and Itzal without trouble, but… we all awoke and Itzal got away… My parents however…" She gripped her legs and placed her head down. "They were turned into Harvestmen. You attacked my father when we came onto Cyth. He was the Harvestman about to attack Itzal, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura-san."

I bit my lip and looked away. "I'm sorry."

"It's… okay. There is no way to reverse the process. Even if there was it would probably kill them." Giving a deep breath she raised her head up and looked to me. "That photograph of my family had Neji-sama in it. That could be why your friends took it."

"Hmm… that could mean that Lee or Tenten, or perhaps both of them had been here. They would be the only ones very interested in that."

"They are your closest friends?" I gave her a nod. "Then that's probably how they got access into Neji-sama's room. You need to say your name in order to get into that room."

"I see…" And with that a silence fell between us and the only noise was the crisp snow falling from the trees. After several minutes I got up and stretched. "Should we head back to Cyth then?" I asked softly.

"No, Shikamaru-kun would have left already. We should find him with your Byakugan. I imagine they would not be too far from the forest." She got up and straightened her clothing before going to a drawer and pulling out some clothes. She looked to me then away with her face brightening up. I blinked at her then realized what she wanted me to do. I blushed and left the room closing the door behind me.

A few minutes later she came out of the room with a gown that was meant for snowy weather. I stared at her then away scratching the back of my head. The gown looked beautiful on her. Clearing my throat, and shaking my head wondering why I was thinking such thoughts, I headed into the kitchen with her following. As we exited and headed out into the forest she grabbed my arm.

"Neji-kun… I have a bad feeling." I stopped and looked at her.

"About what?" She shook her head. I looked around and then focused. _"Byakugan!"_ With my kekkei genkai activated I looked around the forest and reached far out as I could. What chakra I sensed surprised me. Spiders.

"What did you see, Neji-kun?" Alysa asked me with a soft voice.

"Spiders. Not coming toward us but heading out of the forest."

"Oh no… If there are spiders about then Kumo Konjou is starting to gather up your friends…" Keeping a hold on my arm she began to run. "We need to head to the temple!"

"Are Shikamaru and the others in danger?" I asked as I ran with her.

"I would not doubt it. Kumo Konjou plans to have all your friends in one place then have their clones kill them all at once." A grim expression appeared on her face making me worry even more.

_Great. A slaughter is about to begin. Let's hope all of us can escape it._


	15. Clones

This took longer to write than I had anticipated. My apologies. Art and games are good distractions.

_Warning. This is an extremely long chapter with 44 pages making this the longest chapter. Even longer than chapter 11._

If there is anything you do not understand, ask.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Kankuro**_

As I ran forward toward my clone I threw off one of my scrolls then my hands clashed with his. I stared into his menacing eyes and watched as they turned into eyes of bugs. It was like a nightmare was unfolding in front of me. A nightmare that was all too real. Pushing him back I flicked my fingers making Crow fly over, unfortunately he dodged and countered with Crow himself.

I jumped back a few feet away from him and tensed up. He did the same and his Crow came over to him. We stood still for a moment before attacking at the same time. Crows clashed and so did we. I brought my foot up to kick his head and he barely dodged, and then he gripped my hand and threw me aside. I flipped up to my feet and charged forward throwing off another one of my scrolls. He dodged my attack and copied me.

That actually seemed to be all he was doing. He was copying all my attacks, even ones with my puppets. Flinging both of my hands forward I brought Salamander to him and initiated a fire attack, but of course his Salamander countered with a fire attack as well. Our puppets clashed a few more times before I drew back and glared at him.

Glancing around I notice the distance I was from my comrades. That was to be expected. They were not allowed to help in fear of killing him, and preventing me from my chance to return home. Looking back towards him I dropped my hands to my sides.

"You really are like a clone. Only copying what I do." I mocked at him making him lose his grin. With a sudden burst of speed he hit me in the face making me skid across the ground. _That was fast. Where did that speed come from?_ I rubbed my cheek where he had hit me and spit out blood as I had bit my tongue.

"Kankuro! Don't make him angry!" Temari chided at me. I scowled and waved my hand toward her indicating to her I understood. Wiping the blood off my mouth I flicked my hand. Crow came from my left flying toward my clone, but was of course counteracted again. _I need a new strategy. Using any of my puppets will just have them neutralized by his wasting effort to attack._ I gripped my hands. _Using taijutsu is going to have to be the way to go. I guess those lessons weren't useless after all._

Taking a deep breath I ran forward and swung my fist toward his face. He lifted up his arm and blocked it. Then I twirled around went to kick him in the face; I landed. He skidded backwards and I raced forward again not wanting to give him the chance to react. I punched his face then grimaced when it cracked turning into Crow. Quickly, to not get caught in the Crow/Black Ant combo, I jumped backwards just at Crow tried to wrap his arms around me. Turning around I back flipped up and over Black Ant as he came toward me. With one hand I touched Black Ant and jumped away, an explosion went off making cracking and shattering noises. Had I landed a hit?

The smoke cleared and Black Ant was no where to be seen. I brought Crow and Salamander close to myself for protection. My clone was also gone from sight. Surveying around I tried to locate him. Hearing an all too familiar clicking noise I dropped to the snow as I nearly dodged getting sliced by Crow's hidden weapons. Flinging out a hand I caught Crow's flying head with one of my chakra strings. It stopped. Slowly I stood up and located my clone standing behind me. I glared at him as we struggled for control over Crow's head. He was winning.

Well if he was winning, how about I just let him win, eh? Running forward I brought Crow's head with me as I charged at him. He was unprepared for that as I let go of my chakra string on Crow watching as it flew toward him at an alarming speed. His left shoulder was cut and he jumped back to narrowly dodge my oncoming fist. I flung my hands forward and attacked him with both Crow and Salamander. He dodged those and jumped several feet away from me holding his left shoulder. I had made actual damage.

I caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes as the arrogance disappeared. His confidence was dying now that I had actually been able to hurt him. I sprinted forward to attack him again only to be blocked by his Crow. Swinging my hand I brought forth my Crow and moved them out of the way, but in that sudden distraction he had vanished. I looked around quickly then felt a hit to the back of my neck making me fall to the ground. I flipped hurriedly, ignoring the pain, to scarcely dodge a kunai to my back. Kicking forward I managed to knock him away then jump off.

I coughed several times as I felt the pain increase. I placed a hand to the back of my neck then pulled it to my face. Blood. No wonder it hurt so much. He'd cut some into my neck. I prayed it wasn't deep and clenched my hands. He was panting somewhat. There must have been poison on the tip of Crow's weapon. I took a step forward but stopped. Sudden throbbing erupted from my neck; I fell to my knees, and threw up. The affects of poison was coursing through my blood stream. _Dammit. That kunai had poison on it as well, and traveled at an alarming rate._

When I finished with my retching I looked up to see him grinning wickedly at me. I had to finish this now, or risk dying from the poison. I placed a hand down and got myself up slowly though I was getting slightly dizzy. Staring after him the poison was having the same affect on his body. Biting my lip I brought out a kunai and twirled in my hand. I was going to aim for his heart.

"Kankuro-san! Aim for his left shoulder!" A voice, Itzal's voice. Turning toward him I gave him a weird look not understanding why he would suggest that. "The mark! It's there." _What mark is he talking about…?_ Then it slowly came to me as I turned back to my clone who had expression of pure hate directed toward Itzal.

The mark I had seen on Shikamaru's shoulder. It must be on my clone's shoulder as well. I gripped my kunai tighter and raced forward with slight clumsiness. My clone, now knowing my target, flicked his hand to bring Crow and Salamander forward to block me.

As I moved everything seemed to be slowing down. The puppets inched toward me, while my clone remained still. Flicking a finger my puppets engaged his puppets making my path clear. Shattering noises erupted to my left and right. As I came closer, and closer to him his eyes widen in great fear. Raising my hand up my kunai flew down into his left shoulder making me and him fall backwards into the snow. He struggled for a brief moment then went limp.

Breathing hard I stared down at him wondering if this was a trick, but as I looked into his eyes as the life in them disappeared. He was dead.

"Shit! Lee, we're leaving." Kiba barked and I heard the sound of feet kick off in the snow. They knew he was dead. It would be the only reason for them to leave. Soon there was silence and I continued to stare at my now dead clone. My eyes widened as I thought my vision had started to go hazy for my clone turned into shadows and floated in front of me.

_What now…_ I thought grimly. Then with no warning the shadows flowed into me. This time I knew my vision had become hazy. I fell backwards onto my back and stared up at the sky as all began to go black. Memories floated into my mind, not of mine, but of his. My clone. And before I knew it, I fell unconscious.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temari**_

"Kankuro!" I shouted as my brother fell onto his back. Quickly I ran over to his side with Sakura. I lifted him up and she began to heal him. "Will he be alright?" I asked with fear in my voice. She didn't answer and only focused on healing Kankuro. Everyone else came to our sides and formed a circle around us waiting silently.

Minutes felt like hours. I gripped my hands feeling them begin to tremble. My eyes followed Sakura's hands as she stopped healing and pulled out a vial. Quickly she jabbed it into Kankuro's arm then laid him down in the snow. She sighed relief and smiled at me. "He's fine. I neutralized the poison and healed all his wounds. He'll probably be unconscious for awhile though." I smiled back weakly and a placed a hand on his face.

"So… does this mean… Kankuro can go home?" Shikamaru voiced up. I looked up at him then back down at my brother.

Itzal was the one who answered. "I think so… his clone has been absorbed into his body breaking the seal that prevented him from leaving."

"So… from what Alysa told us… he is now shifting through the memories of his clone?"

"Yes, Shikamaru-kun." Thinking about what Itzal had told my brother in battle I slowly looked up at him.

"Itzal?" I began and he turned me. "Why did you tell my brother to attack the shoulder of his clone?" He shifted his feet thinking then gave an answer.

"Because I saw the mark Shikamaru-kun has on his left shoulder." He twiddled his fingers together, "but it was a guess. I had no idea if my speculation would be right or not." I nodded slowly before looking back at my brother. Shikamaru knelt next to me placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's get to a better area. It's not great protection out here in the middle of nowhere." He gave a nod to Sasuke and Naruto who came over and gently picked up Kankuro.

"Hold on." It was Tenten who came into my view. "Shikamaru… what's going on?" I gave a small laugh. She must have not understood what had transpired at all. Shikamaru groaned probably coming to the same conclusion as me.

"I'll explain as we walk, Tenten." He waved his hand at her then grabbed mine helping me to my feet.

-oO0-o)

We found ourselves at the bogs, and managed to find an area that was mostly moss and vines. Kankuro had been laid on the driest moss we could find. He was still unconscious but his breathing was normal.

While Shikamaru had explained to Tenten and Choji about what was going on, Sasuke and Naruto had gathered up the pieces of Kankuro's puppets. They were broken somewhat but thanks to the clone's puppets they couldn't tell the difference, so they had to bring back all four puppets. Unfortunately for us only Kankuro knew how to put his puppets together. All we could do now was wait for Kankuro to wake up.

Tenten and Choji had also shown us documents that were written by Neji's clone. It shown light on the situation and told us what was really going on. They found them at Alysa's home, which had been where Alysa and Neji had headed to. These documents were probably what Alysa was after meaning hopefully they'll head our way very soon.

Supposedly each clone was a fragment of our memories and body. At one point when Kumo Konjou had made contact with Shikamaru a year ago, he managed to touch each of our hearts. We all came to realize that a year ago there was a moment that each one of us had gotten sick. The sickness had been the same.

Hazy feelings and seeing black dots everywhere. It hadn't happened to all of us at once, but when it did a clone had been created into this world. Because only our memories had been taken the clones were incomplete. That was the main reason they had to kill us. Although Alysa had told us similar, we just had never known the real cause.

The last bit of information that the documents gave us was how to kill our clones. They each had a mark similar to Shikamaru's on their left shoulders. If a blow was given there, it would kill them instantly like how we saw with Kankuro's clone. Their body would revert back to the shadows of whence they came and be absorbed into the original. The main reason we couldn't kill someone else's clone was because each clone held a piece of us, and the only way to get it back was to absorb them.

If only it was that easy.

"Hey, Sasuke. You think our clones are just as dangerous as Kankuro's?" Naruto asked looking up at Sasuke as he fumbled with a piece of one of the puppets. Sasuke slapped his hand making him drop the piece before crossing his arms.

"Most likely, but if they are anything like that clone then it will be easy especially now that we know how to defeat them."

"Eh, arrogant as always."

"And you're as foolish as always."

"Well I at least know better than you!"

"Unlikely! You are always causing problems." I sighed. Those two never seemed to stop arguing. Even with all stress that was in the air they managed to start a fight forgetting all the problems that surrounded them.

Leaning back against a tree I closed my eyes hoping to block out the noise. I would have told them to shut up, but I was just in no mood. Concentrating I let my mind drift out to my home in Suna. Eventually the noises from Sasuke and Naruto became the noises of the wind softly blowing. I knew it was no time to relax, but I was tired of having to be on edge every minute since we arrived here.

With my mind at ease I found myself looking over Suna. It was a beautiful day with no troubles about. Children were playing in the streets, others opening their shops, or preparing for a new day of missions. Leaning against a railing I found the air warm comforting, and all my worries vanished. I could continue to relax like this forever with a smile on my face everyday.

**Temari.**

The wind stopped, and all activity came to a halt. No noise was around me and the warmth of the sun became a cold chill.

**Temari.**

A disturbing, menacing voice echoed through my ears. I felt icy arms wrap around me then something clasp around my neck.

**Temari!**

"AH!" My eyes shot open and I began to breathe hard. Quickly I placed a hand to my throat with sudden exhaustion coming over me.

"Temari?" Shikamaru knelt next to me with great worry in his voice. "Temari, what's wrong, what happened? Are you alright?" I shook my head not knowing what that was, but the voice it had been so familiar.

"I… No… it's n-nothing. I think this place is just getting to me…" I fumbled my words out only half-way believing them myself. Taking a deep breath I calmed myself down and looked at Shikamaru giving him a slight smile. There was still concern on his face but he pulled me into his lap and hugged me. I blinked then slowly hugged him back gripping his back.

"Is she going to be alright, Shikamaru?" I heard Sakura ask coming next to us. I glanced at her and gave her a smile.

"I'll be fine, Sakura. N-no injuries of any kind." Some relief was on her face, but as she walked away I could see that she was watching me.

After a moment Shikamaru let go and lightly kissed my forehead saying softly that all would be alright. I gave him a nod in response and he got up going to check on the others. I looked up to see that Sasuke and Naruto had been watching. I gave them a fierce look and they held up their hands walking off.

Sighing, I looked down at Kankuro and gently place a hand to his face. I bit my lip to see my hand was trembling. Had that been a real vision? Or was this place really getting to me? I couldn't tell, but it was bothering me for sure. Gripping my hand I closed my eyes again to see if I could recall where I had heard that voice.

Nothing came to though. I opened my eyes and stared up at the cloudy sky. A dark shape was forming in front of me. I blinked and it vanished. Giving a frown I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary, everyone was busy with some sort of task. I gave my head a shake. _I need to relax! This is just lack of real sleep getting to me. The environment here is causing my mind to imagine things._ Taking that as the real answer to this strange occurrence, I gave a small smile and held up the necklace Shikamaru had given me.

I screamed.

Getting up quickly I torn the necklace off dropping it to the ground and placing hands to my head. Spiders. Seeming to be hundreds of spiders were crawling on my necklace. Something was horribly wrong with me.

"Temari!" I felt Shikamaru grab me and embrace me. "What's wrong? Now something is definitely up." I was shaking in his arms barely able to comprehend what he was saying. "Temari please answer me!"

"Spiders… on… my necklace…" I managed to squeeze out of my voice.

"Spiders?" Shikamaru kept a hold on me as he bent down picking up the necklace. I looked with fear in my eyes at the necklace expecting to see the spiders there. They weren't. Shikamaru examined the necklace many times then shook his head at me. "Temari… are you feeling alright?" His eyes met mine, and great anxiety flooded his.

"Let me take a look at her, Shikamaru." Sakura knelt next to us and she placed a hand on my head. "She has a fever. The cold might be making her sick to the point of giving her hallucinations. Lay her down so I can examine her fully." Shikamaru did what Sakura told him to do and laid me down on the moss next to Kankuro. I closed my eyes with a hand gripping onto Shikamaru.

As Sakura examined me I heard Shikamaru give out instructions. My "hallucinations" must have caused him to worry that there might be someone or something using genjutsu.

**I don't work through genjutsu my dear.** That voice again. Shrilling laughter erupted and the icy arms wrapped around me again grabbing at my neck.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I pushed Sakura off and sat up gripping my head. I could feel everyone's eyes looking at me with shock. Shikamaru's hands lifted up my head to make me look him in the eyes. I stared at his face, at his bug-like eye. I watched as his eyes and face slowly turned into a menacing face of a spider. Screaming I pushed Shikamaru away placing my hands over my mouth.

_This isn't happening! This couldn't be happening!_

**It is happening! You opened your mind and let me in.** I screamed out again as pain flooded my head making me grip harder. Voices of panic were echoing around me, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. The shrilling laughter wouldn't leave my head. The icy arms of embrace wrapped tighter around me and continued to keep my neck secure. I began to feel my body become cold, and my vision becoming hazy. Everything around me was going closer into becoming nothing but darkness.

"I won't let you have her." Suddenly lips were upon mine and warm arms overcame the icy ones. The grasp to my neck vanished and my vision returned. Slowly Shikamaru's face fell into my sight and instant relief flooded my body and mind as I felt it overcome with a sense of happiness and warmth. I relaxed. The feelings were all gone and my mind closed to the darkness allowing in light.

After a few moments Shikamaru slowly released his lock on my lips and looked me in the eyes. Tears flooded mine as I embraced him securing my arms tightly around him.

Kumo Konjou had tried to break me, and take me away. Shikamaru knew and brought me back.

I was scared.

Exhaustion overtook my body and I closed my eyes relaxing in Shikamaru's tender arms.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

I felt Temari fall into a relaxed sleep and held her even tighter. Things had gone too far now. Carefully I picked Temari up and stood. I looked around at everyone. I could see they were dying to ask what had just happened. Turning to them, allowing Sakura to again examine Temari, I gave them all a determined expression.

"We're going to the temple."

"Are you crazy, Shikamaru?" Naruto came up to me the first one voicing out his objections to this.

"If I hadn't known that Kumo Konjou was trying to take Temari, I would be." That shut him up. "He broke through the barriers in Temari's mind and tried to disrupt her feelings to the point she wouldn't know what he was doing."

"How can you know that?" Sasuke asked with a frown on his face. I turned to him giving him a frown back.

"I felt it, Sasuke. I can feel his presence because of this stupid mark on my face." He stared at me then gave a slight nod.

"If…" Hinata's light voice began making everyone look at her. "If Kumo Konjou was able to break Temari's mind so easily… does that mean he can do that to anyone of us?"

I hadn't thought of that, but having someone outspoken the question made me grimly realize it was true. "Yes." I answered her. Everyone gave dreary expressions. I could see their confidence had been shaken. Standing up straight, I handed Temari gently to Sakura and looked around at everyone. "We need to, have to take Kumo Konjou down now. That's why we are heading to the temple. Our friends are there and we need to help them. We need to take our clones down and get home! We can't let Kumo Konjou think he's already won. If we continue to believe there is no hope, our faith will be shaken and we _will_ die! Are you willing to accept that? I'm not." I began to walk around and look at everyone. "There is no way in hell I'm going to accept death. Not this way. Those documents that Tenten and Choji found will greatly help us. It confirmed what Itzal had speculated, and proves we have to kill them. We can't give up. Not now, not ever. Our clones have matured and started wearing clothing to match ours. This means nothing. We stick together and we will go home together no matter what they pull on us." I stopped and looked at everyone's faces. Their confidence was brought back with determination.

_Clap, clap, clap._

I turned around and looked up into the trees, eyes widening. "Pretty speech. Shame just talking won't do you any good." I heard my voice echo back at me. My clone appeared from a branch with a smirk on his face. I braced myself for him to attack and he only laughed. "I'm not here to fight you. Not yet. I'm here to tell you that it's time. Time for each of your friends to begin their deaths." With that he vanished into the shadows and disappeared. I looked at everyone and saw my expression reflected on their faces.

Resolve.

We were going to end it.

-oO0-o)

Upon reaching the temple Kankuro woke up.

"Shikamaru… remind me to never make you angry." Was the first thing me mumbled when he came to. I looked at him strangely and he gave a small laugh. "Your clone has got one horrible temper."

"Eeeh. What are you talking about Kankuro? How would you know that!" Naruto asked giving him a frown. I rolled my eyes. Of course Naruto would be the first one to forget. Sasuke punched Naruto in the arm.

"Idiot! Did you forget Kankuro gained his clone's memories?"

"Er. I knew that…"

Ignoring Naruto I knelt in front of Kankuro. "What else have you learned besides my clone being hot-headed?"

"Well… I saw how the clones progressed through their lives here. Time seems to pass about the same as our world, although it went by so quickly. Any skills or knowledge they learned of us seems to be only of a year ago. Anything past that they would have no knowledge of any new jutsus we may have learned." Kankuro sighed rubbing the back of the neck. "I tell you… that was weird. I knew they weren't my memories, but seeing all the things my clone did sure made me think it had been my life." I patted Kankuro's shoulder then helped him to his feet.

That was good. If any of us learned any new jutsus we could use that to our advantage to take the clones out. I hadn't learned anything new because of the handicap of having to regain memories, but I wouldn't let that thought upset me. Grabbing Kankuro's arm I brought him over to where Sakura and Temari were.

The instant he saw his sister lying unconscious he rushed over to her. "What happened?" I nodded to Sakura and she explained to Kankuro in my place.

I went over to the rest of my friends who were waiting for me at the start of the temple stairs.

"What's the plan, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked me standing up and stretching. I knelt down and picked up a stick, and began mapping out the temple.

"This is what we're going to do. Kankuro, Temari, Itzal, and Sakura are going to stay out here." I pointed to the side of the temple entrance. "It'll be safer for them to remain out of the main entrance view. I have a feeling that our clones are hold up in this temple meaning Kankuro has no business in there, and since Temari is still unconscious she needs Sakura. Itzal, it'd just be best if you stayed out of danger." I looked to all of them to see if they agreed, my eyes staying on Sasuke the longest. They nodded, as did Itzal who understood why I wanted him to stay out. He walked over to Sakura and began to explain what I had just said.

"What will we do once we enter the temple?" Tenten asked as she looked down at my scribble.

"Hinata will use her Byakugan to search for our friends. I'm going to assume that Gaara, Shino, Kiba, Ino, and Lee are somewhere trapped inside."

"What if we an encounter a clone, Shikamaru?" I glanced at Choji.

"If it's your clone, kill them with a stab to their left shoulder. If it's someone else's clone, either try to knock them unconscious or run. Otherwise we leave them alone if we don't encounter them. Our first priority is to find our friends, after that we can track our clones down. Understood?"

"Yes!" Everyone answered at once. I nodded and drew a line through the temple.

"If we can't make it out the front entrance then we will break out." I stood up and began to ascend the stairs. "Naruto, Sasuke. Both of you guard Hinata as she leads us through. Kill anything that gets in her path. Tenten, Choji. Fall behind and keep enemies off our tails. I'll remain in the middle in case we need any quick plans. We're dealing with spiders here that might be poisonous. Do not get bit. Now Hinata if you would please."

"_Byakugan!"_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Neji and Alysa. Time: Afternoon. Place: Edge of Morton**_

_**Neji**_

I skidded to a halt as I saw a swarm of spiders skitter past. Alysa stopped next to me and gripped my arm. Clash clamped onto her shoulder and stared at the spiders unblinking. I dared not move in fear of gaining their attention. A few moments later all had past. I glanced in the direction they were heading.

Across Morton to the south.

"Where are they heading, Alysa? That isn't the direction to the swamp."

"It's where Kumo Konjou lives. They are gathering to him. He's preparing for his vessel." By vessel she meant Shikamaru, but that thought brought an interesting question to my mind.

"Alysa. Kumo Konjou is a large creature. Why would he need a vessel to destroy? Wouldn't he cause less damage like that? You might have explained this already, but humor me."

She shook her head. "He needs a vessel to be able to enter your world to break the hold your world has on him from coming forth. Once inside that vessel he has complete control of all the vessel's actions, and can move freely about. He can return to his original form by just exiting out of the vessel's body, and then enter back whenever he wanted to. If you were to kill the vessel while he was inside he would die."

"Well that option is not a choice. There is no way we're going to kill Shikamaru if Kumo Konjou takes control of his body, but if he does manage to get control will he immediately go to my world?"

"It takes time."

"Good, that gives us a chance to take him if that happens." I looked left and right across the desert before looking in the direction of the swamp. _"Byakugan!"_ I scanned toward the swamp trying to locate any of my friend's chakra. There! Four that I recognized were outside of near the side of the temple. I took my Byakugan off and looked at Alysa. "It seems that Kankuro, Temari, Itzal, and Sakura are near the temple. I don't see the others though. If they are inside, we'll have be closer.

"Then let us hurry." We ran forward and headed toward the swamps. I looked to the sky to notice the sun, which was odd. Ever since we came here it had done nothing but snow. If there had been sunlight, it shown through the bleak gray giving the world light, but that was it.

It had stopped snowing the day after Alysa and I had left Cyth, and the clouds had moved away to let the sun shine through. Curious, I asked Alysa why.

"Kumo Konjou needs the rays of the sun in order to be able to travel, so he has stopped the snow. Even if it were to begin to snow again, there is no fear that you and your friends cannot head home. Killing Kumo Konjou will bring the sun."

"He's getting serious then… Why have all those spiders gone to him instead of to us?"

"When the resurrection of the king is upon us, we travel to his birth and protect him from those that would harm." A proverb. Carefully I thought about its meaning and how it applied. It came to me.

"He's vulnerable when he's preparing to take a vessel." Alysa smiled at me when I understood.

"Yes, although the vessel himself cannot move and is vulnerable themselves at the same time."

"That'll have to be the time we strike. Hopefully we can kill him without having him take over Shikamaru."

"You won't be getting that far!" My eyes widen and I grabbed Alysa jumping back as the snow exploded in front of us. Clash squeaked out and crashed to the snow before getting up and hissing violently. Looking up I saw my clone and grimaced. He was getting into a position that if I didn't move now, I was likely to die. Quickly I jumped back at least fifty feet holding Alysa close.

He had tried using the 8 Trigrams, 64 Palms on me. He glowered at us and stood up straight then charged forward.

Definitely in no mood to talk. I placed Alysa down, activated Byakugan, and engaged him. This time for sure I wasn't going to have him outsmart me.

At first he pushed me back, almost overtaking me. He wasn't only trying to seal up my chakra, but kill me as well. His attacks were fierce and unrelenting forcing me to mainly defend. He wasn't giving me a chance to counterattack. Our hands clashed several times and sparks of chakra echoed off. I knew at any point he was likely to seal my chakra, so I did a quick concentration of my chakra and shot it out of my body. I spun around as the chakra flowed out like a circle, but just as it was about to hit him he did the same.

When Kaiten was done I jumped back then ran forward aiming to strike him as soon as his Kaiten was finished, but he was ready for me. Quickly he brought up his hand and moved mine aside then swung his other one forward to strike at my stomach. My other hand came down and moved his hand aside, but he still hit.

Wincing, I jumped back to Alysa and stared after my clone. He wasn't moving and remained in the Jyuuken fighting style. _Waiting for me to strike first._ I reached down to my side; it hurt but was otherwise fine. He missed the tenketsu and managed to only bruise my body. Getting back into the Jyuuken style I raced forward and stroke. Once again our hands clashed.

I pushed him back aiming to gain the upper ground. I could see a small hint of worry in his eyes of losing. Hopefully I could get him to make a mistake, which seemed unlikely if he was really like me. Whatever the case, though, I had to defeat him right here. Thinking quickly, I grabbed his arm and threw him into the air then turned around and threw a kunai. Mid-air he grabbed the kunai and landed then thrust forward swinging the kunai at me. I ducked and twirled my feet kicking his feet from under him.

He feel backwards giving me an opportunity. I jumped up and stroke down onto his arms getting a few tenketsu. His eyes widened in surprise before rearing up his legs and kicking me up into the air. I fell with a thump on the ground; I coughed at the sudden impact but got up in haste for his next attack. Then something happened that I didn't expect.

My body froze.

I couldn't any muscle except for my eyes. My eyes looked around then noticed the ground. A shadow was connected to me. "W-what? I-impossible…" Looking over towards my clone his hands were in the position I have often seen Shikamaru use. Shadow Possession. "There… is no way… you could learn this..."

"No?" My clone grinned at me and he stood up straight making me mimic him. "Why not? It's not a kekkei genkai after all."

"That is true… but only the Nara clan can…" My eyes widened. _Of course…_ Thinking back Alysa had mentioned that my clone could use this ability, and she had no idea how he came to it. "Kumo Konjou learned this Hiden (secret) jutsu from the Nara clan because of his connection to Shikamaru!" I growled.

My clone laughed. "You learn, shame that won't do you much good now that you're going to die." He reached down and brought out a kunai. My hands and arms reacted in the same way, but his kunai pouch was in a different location than mine so all I grabbed was air. "Die."

"I won't let you!" Suddenly Alysa came in between us with her arms spread out wide. With her in the way I could not see my clone.

"Alysa, move! Much as I would love to kill you, I am not allowed."

"I will not! Kumo Konjou has to be stopped and so do you!" I tried to concentrate to force myself out of the jutsu, but our distance was close. Since the strength of the hold dealt with how close the shadow was to the desired target, I would have a harder time getting away from its grip. My hands suddenly came to my hips as I mimicked my clone.

"Come now Alysa. Don't show disrespect for Kumo Konjou-sama. He has done naught but care for you."

"Do not kid around with me! Especially since you're the one that killed my family!" I growled. Alysa had told me this already, and it burned me with anger that he had done that. Now that my clone was here, I would take him down.

"Alysa… get out of here…" I commanded. It was better to not involve her anymore. I saw her shake her head. "Leave before you're hurt again!" Slowly she turned to me, a small smile on her face and her eyes of that of a Hyuuga. Then, she faced my clone again and aimed to strike him.

"Humph. Never learn." I felt myself get into the Jyuuken then strike forward. She dodged the attack and hit his arms, and I felt my own arms react in defense. It was unnatural and weird to feel my body in this way without me doing it. "Alysa! Come now I've seen you better than this." He was underestimating her just as I would have done in the past.

When he moved backwards, I moved forward and same when he pushed her back. I tried resisting, but his hold was still very strong. _Where does he get the concentration to hold this jutsu and fight? …Of course! Kumo Konjou must be the source._ If that was so then there was no way I was going to be able to get out of this hold even if my clone had gotten hurt. My body moved with his so I knew if she would hit, and luckily for me she did although it did not end the jutsu. My left arm and shoulder angled downward letting me see what damage Alysa had done.

She had sliced through his shoulder tearing through clothing and flesh. There was pain on his face, but more than that there was hatred. He quickly stood back up and kicked.

"AAH!" Alysa came flying towards me. There was no way I could dodge it, so I braced for it. Unfortunately, my clone was not done with her. My arms moved up and aimed to strike Alysa the moment she came to me. My hands flew at her and I closed my eyes not wanting to see the end.

…Silence, and then an annoyed hiss. I opened my eyes. Alysa was not in front of me anymore. My body slowly stood up straight and I felt it turn. I looked to see Alysa wrapped in web and next to Clash.

"Damn annoying spider." My clone moved forward and so did I. We were both aiming for Alysa and Clash. If I didn't do something I was going to strike them down with my clone. Clash hissed at us and shot a spider web toward me and my clone. As he jumped to dodge so did I, but Clash was ready for it.

He shot a web out where my clone was going to end up and hit his mark. The jutsu was released and my body relaxed. I fell to the ground and to my knees. I took a deep breath as I felt control over my body again. Slowly I stood up and located my clone. He was wrapped up in webbing. _This is my chance._

"Neji-kun… strike his left shoulder." I glanced at Alysa as she came up to me holding her stomach. "A marking similar to Shikamaru's is there… hitting it will most likely end his life."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Strike his heart…" I grimaced at that thought. It was always hard to take a life, especially by striking the heart. Shaking the thought away I looked toward my clone who was untangling himself from the webs. Not wasting anymore time I ran forward. I saw his eyes widened as he struggled. As I reached him I brought my hand up and stroke down on his shoulder. I saw his pupil contract due to pain, but in an instant I was shoved off and thrown to the side. Quickly I got to my feet and looked over at him.

He held his shoulder with hatred directed toward me. I missed the mark. Noticing he was still tangled in webs I aimed my palms out and shot chakra toward him. Unable to dodge he was hit and flew backwards before sliding across the snow. I was on him before he could react, and this time I didn't miss.

With a kunai I struck the mark and watched as he began to tremble before all movement ceased.

"Neji-kun! Are you alright?" Alysa asked as she sat down to my side with Clash slowly coming forth and glaring down at my clone. I gave a nodded then fell back as my clone turned into shadows. "These are the memories I talked about; you're going to go unconscious and dream."

Gripping my hands I prepared for it to be painful. I closed my eyes and felt something hit my body. It wasn't painful though, just an odd sensation. I fell backwards into the arms of Alysa then my mind went blank and I drifted off.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Sakura, Kankuro, Temari, and Itzal. Time: Late Afternoon Place: Angra Mainyu. **_

_**Sakura**_

I examined Temari. Her fever was gone and she looked at lot more relaxed than earlier. I looked up as Kankuro-san knelt next to me.

"How is she?" He asked, voice coated with concern.

I smiled at him. "She's fine, Kankuro-san, but you on the other hand shouldn't be walking around so much."

"I can't help it. I don't like just sitting here doing nothing especially now that any one of us could die at any moment… I'm starting to fear for my little brother…" He sat down and stared at his older sister. I understood, although I couldn't grasp what it felt like to have a sibling close to you to be in pain.

"Kankuro-san… Everything will be fine. Gaara; you know he can handle himself well. Even if his clone comes to kill him. Plus, if anything happens you're there, aren't you?" He glanced at me and gave a small smile. I was able to reassure him. "Now then, how do your feel?"

"My neck is somewhat itchy, but otherwise the rest of my body feels fine." I nodded then stood up and looked around. We had moved to the side of the temple like Shikamaru instructed. It was much swampier near the temple, but we managed to find a semi-dry place. My eyes drifted around the trees until they caught Itzal-san standing next to one. Seeing a sad expression on his face I went over to him.

"Itzal-san? Are you alright?" I asked as I knelt next to him. He glanced at me then to the ground.

"I'm worried for Nee-chan." He answered quietly. "I know she's with Neji-nii-san, but what if Kumo Konjou tries to kill her, or takes control of her, or if she gets hurt or-" I placed a hand over his mouth stopping him, and making him look to me. I gave him a gentle smile.

"Relax, Itzal-san. Like you said, she's with Neji. She couldn't be place in more capable hands in my opinion. He may act like a know-it-all sometimes, but Neji will do everything in his power to protect her. You must have confidence. Alysa will be fine, and so will everyone else. We all will do everything to protect each other, so have a little faith, mm?" I opened up my arms; Itzal-san blinked at me slowly then went into them. I held him close and stood up holding him up. "Now let's go back to Kankuro-san, and Temari."

Before heading back I checked around the area. It was clear of people, although that didn't give me any relief. It concerned me that there could be danger lurking everywhere. As I came up to Temari and Kankuro-san, I placed Itzal-san down and noticed that Temari was waking. She blinked her eyes then slowly sat up with the help of her brother.

"Shikamaru…?" I wasn't surprised that was the first person she would ask for.

"He's inside the temple with everyone else." I told her calmly. She looked at me sharply.

"What? Why are they in there?"

"Oi, Temari calm down. They are in there to rescue our friends. Sakura stayed out here with us to tend to you, and I'm sure Shikamaru and the others will be back soon." Temari turned toward Kankuro-san and gave him a bitter look. Kankuro-san rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"How… long ago was that?" Temari asked me as she looked back in my direction.

"Mmm, probably a few hours ago...?" I answered somewhat unsure.

"A few hours… Then why haven't they arrived back out yet?"

"Maybe the temple is like a maze inside?" Kankuro-san guessed. Temari gave a look of worry to that response.

"We'll just have to wait? I'm sure they are fine. This temple is fairly large, but they have Hinata for a guide. If they get lost, she'll remember the way to track back with her Byakugan." I mentioned lightly. That seemed to reassure her. "Now, let me ask, Temari. Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah… A little bit chilled, but no more freakish things." I nodded to her and stood up. "Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to check around the front to see if they have arrived. Stay here, you too Itzal-san."

I jumped into a tree and leaped back and forth through them until I came to the front of the building. Quickly I scanned the entrance; there was no one there yet. I gave a sigh and was about to jump back when I saw something from the other side of the temple. I narrowed my eyes to see through the swamp. There was a large spider heading in our direction with…

"Alysa!" I jumped from the tree and raced over to the spider, which stopped at my voice. Alysa was on top with Clash and an unconscious Neji. Without waiting for her approval I jumped onto the spider and started to examine Neji.

"Sakura-san… You are alright." There was relief in her voice. I smiled at her then healed a few wounds on Neji, and then her.

"What happened to Neji?" I asked as I sat down. "Oh and we're over there." Webs shot out and attached to me then the spider started moving again.

"Neji fought with his clone, and won."

"YES!" I shouted, pleased. Alysa looked at me blinking several times. I sweat dropped and rubbed the back of my head. "Sorry, got a bit excited about that. Kankuro-san has also killed his clone, so we're starting to win."

"That is good to hear. Is he doing well?"

"Yeah, perfect, well mentally anyway. He's still recovering from his battle." She came up to our little camp, and Itzal-san saw her immediately. He jumped onto the spider and hugged Alysa. The webs came off and I dropped next to Kankuro-san and Temari.

"Alysa, is Neji the only one with you?" Temari asked as she stood up to help me get Neji off the spider.

"Yes… did you find anyone else?"

"Tenten and Choji. They're with Shikamaru and the others inside the temple locating the rest of our friends." I answered as I set Neji down on soft moss. I looked to Alysa who had a worried/relieved expression on her face. "That was a few hours ago, so maybe they are on their way back out."

"I hope so…Clash? Go inside and find them please then report to me." Alysa commanded to Clash who then crawled up the temple wall, and into a hole I had not seen.

-oO0-o)

Minutes seemed like hours as we waited for contact from Clash, and I was starting to feel impatient. Needing something to do, I got up and began to wander around. It was awfully silent in these swamps; just like everywhere else in this world. Curious, I went back and to Alysa holding one of my arms.

"Alysa…" She looked up at me. "Is… this entire world really dead?"

"…Yes." A grave expression was on her face.

"Was it always like this? Snow and no life?"

"I… I don't know. There was life in Cyth and Céleste, but otherwise it has always been snow. I was born here, so I don't know much nor do my parents. My family and I barely visited Cyth or Céleste, and when we did there wasn't much communication." Alysa glanced and curled her legs to her chest. "I'm sorry I can't give you more than that Sakura-san."

"It-it's alright…" I gave her a light smile then turned away, but then something crossed my mind and I turned back to her. "Not much communication? Do you mean that your family didn't talk with the people because you were busy or…?"

Alysa slowly looked back up at me. "They wouldn't talk to us. I didn't know why as a child, and I still don't know why."

"I see… Sorry to bring up harmful memories." She gave a slight nod to me before placing her head down. I turned away and began to wander again. Thoughts raced my mind of what she had just told me.

Maybe Alysa's family wasn't originally from Chaos as she so believes. People wouldn't talk to them, they lived away from everyone, her parents didn't know much about it either, and they barely visited any of the places. It was a far-fetched speculation, but it made a lot of sense. Well, to me it made perfect sense, but without evidence I couldn't prove a thing. Although maybe that meant she could come home with us! I didn't like the idea of leaving her and Itzal-san in this malevolent world.

I sighed then blinked finally realizing where I had wandered off to. I was in front of the temple entrance, which was quite a bit from the others. I gave one quick look around before I started to head back.

"HYAAH!" I jumped to the right as someone suddenly came flying toward me. I skidded slightly then looked up to see who the attacker was.

I gasped.

It was me.

Then I grinned. Slowly I stood up to my feet and cracked my hands. My clone looked toward me giving a frown.

"Why so happy, Sakura-chan?" I twitched. It sounded really weird to hear my own voice call me 'Sakura-chan'.

"Oh nothing. I'm just itching to kill you right here." I held my fists up into an attack position.

She scowled at me. "You're the one who's going to die!" She ran toward me, chakra within her fists, and stroke at my position. I jumped into the air and swung my leg down on her. With grace she dodged the attack and swung her fist forward. Quickly, I placed up my arms in defense and flew backwards. I slammed into a couple of trees before finally coming to a stop.

Coughing a few times I stood up and smirked. _This will be like fighting Master. Heh. I can do this easily._

"Tch! Stop that grinning. Don't let this get to your head that you can beat me!"

"HA! Who's being the arrogant one here, hmm?" I gripped my hands and ran forward toward my clone with my fist flying to her face. Her hand flew up and grabbed my hand just before impact. She gripped tightly with both of her hands then started to twirl. My eyes widened as I was lifted into the air, and started to twirl with her. As she spun in circles she hit me through trees, and then when everything was a blur she let go.

I flew much farther than when she had hit me the first time. I crashed through much of the swamp and even slid across the ground.

"Sakura?" It was Temari's voice. I coughed as I slowly sat up. My eyes darted around quickly looking for my clone. Temari rushed over to me and knelt down. "What's going on?"

"SHH!" I told her placing a finger to my lips. She twitched in angry, but helped me to my feet. Then I felt my clone's presence and pushed Temari away from me just as I got hit. I skidded across the ground and right into the temple making me scream out.

"Sakura-san!" This time Alysa. "Oh no… you're clone." 

"That's right dear Alysa, and if you dare get in the way I will kill you!" My clone was charging toward me. She threw her fist toward my face, but missed as I dodge just in time. A large crater appeared in the temple wall. I swung my foot around and kicked her away, and then chased after her hitting her again.

"No one get near us!" I commanded as I raced after my clone. I heard my name called several times, but ignored the protest. As she saw me coming she jumped back and away. She accumulated a lot of chakra into her right fist, and I did the same. We swung our fits into each other at the same time, and caused a large burst of chakra to erupt between us sending us both flying in opposite directions.

I once again flew toward my friends and stopped several feet from them.

Neji was now awake. Great. More people to deal with.

"Dammit!" I cursed as I got to my feet just in time to be hit in the face by my clone. I heard a laugh as I once again landed, but this time it was into the murky bog. I floated downward for a few seconds then flipped around. As I tried swimming back to the surface of the bog I swallowed mouthfuls of filthy water. When I broke the surface I coughed and almost vomited because of the disgusting taste.

The laugh came again. "Now what was that about me being arrogant?" My clone was grinning at me as she slowly came toward me. I growled at her then accumulated chakra into my fist before slamming it into the ground. A large crack broke across the ground and my clone fell into it. I slowly stood up gripping my hands.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" I glared over at her as she crawled out of the crack with cuts on her skin. She gave the glare back and an apprehensive look crossed her face then her eyes gleamed. She pivoted on her foot and charged toward Kankuro-san and Neji. My eyes widen and I raced after her. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

Kankuro-san jumped back, but Neji, who had just woken up, was still weak. Alysa ran over to Neji and tried to move away, but my clone reached them.

"_Kaiten!"_ Neji grabbed a hold of Alysa and a rotation of chakra surrounded both of them sending my clone away. She flew past me and crashed into a tree. I jumped in front of Neji and Alysa, and turned in the direction my clone went. My clone did not reappear making me suspicious. Heavy breathing started behind me and I glanced to look.

Neji looked exhausted and fell to his knees within Alysa's arms. I bit my lip and looked back toward the trees. Neji must have used a lot of chakra in his last battle, and gained some of it back during his rest, but using Kaiten he used up the chakra he had gained. He wasn't prepared to be moving around.

I would have healed him if my clone hadn't popped up again. She came stalking toward me exhausted. I gave her a fierce glare.

"Don't give me that, Sakura-chan." She stopped a couple hundred feet away and held her fists up.

"Why would you attack Neji and Kankuro-san?" I dared to ask. She gave me a frown and rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? They killed their doubles, so they don't need to be alive anymore. Anyone of your friends that manages to kill their doubles deserves to be dead! They can't be used anymore for Kumo Konjou-sama's plans." She charged toward me again. I could sense a lot of chakra within her fists. She was aiming to take me, Alysa, and Neji out.

Her statement and aim pissed me off.

"SHANNARO!" With a large amount of chakra into my fist I hit her straight in the stomach sending her flying into the air. I jumped after her and brought my foot down onto her stomach again sending her straight into the earth. She crashed and a large crater formed around her. As I was coming down I remembered how I had to kill my clone and I brought out a kunai and landed on top of her. "Here comes your end, Sakura-chan." I mocked her.

Her eyes widened then she grinned. I glared at her and held the kunai above her left shoulder. I could see she had no strength left to fight back, but yet she was still scheming. "Just… because you might be able to beat all of us doesn't mean you're going to win. Kumo Konjou-sama is stronger than any of you will ever be. He has more power than any bijuu in existence! Even without the powers from Shikamaru-sama, he can kill you all instantly!"

I stared at her and gave a blank expression; I thrust my hand down and stabbed through her shoulder. She screamed, struggled, and then went limp. "Enough of your crap."

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kankuro-san asked me coming up with Temari. Alysa, Itzal-san, and Neji came over as well. I gave them a sheepish smile.

"Sorry guys, you'll have to survive without my healing skills until either I wake up or Ino gets here." I felt my clone disappear from under me making me fall into the cold wet ground. I looked down as shadows floated up to my face. I closed my eyes and spread my arms out.

_Sasuke-kun, everyone. Return in one piece._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru, Tenten, Choji, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. Time: Approaching Dusk. Place: Temple of the Wicked.**_

_**Sasuke**_

"That's the last of them." I told Hinata as she came from behind a pillar. Naruto and I had taken care of the blockade of spiders that got into our path. We told Hinata to take cover while Shikamaru, Tenten, and Choji remained back in case more spiders approached. She nodded to us and reactivated her Byakugan. I could tell she was tired. Byakugan took up chakra just like Sharingan did for me.

Naruto and I stood back as she came up to the door we uncovered behind the spiders. "They… they are behind here."

"Alright, Hinata you can take a rest." Shikamaru instructed as he stood next to me. "Stay out here with Tenten and Choji. Sasuke, Naruto come inside with me."

"Understood!" We told him at the same time. He nodded to us then tried to open the door. No luck.

"Oi… help me push this open." I stood on his right while Naruto stood on his left. "On three… one, two… three!" I pushed forward and felt much resistance, and then out of nowhere the door slid open and all three of us fell forward. I blinked in surprise and stood up.

"Er, that was a surprise." Naruto gave a small laugh and helped Shikamaru to his feet.

"Hmph…" I walked inside the room and took a look around. It was really small, but looked like a torture chamber. "What the hell is this place used for?"

"I hope it wasn't meant for us…" Naruto came next to me and looked like he was about to shiver in fear. I grinned and rolled my eyes.

"You okay, scaredy-cat?"

"Grr, Sasuke shut up!" Naruto turned to me and thrust his fist forward; I nimbly dodged it giving a laugh.

"Hey! Don't start fighting." Shikamaru mumbled as he walked between us then knelt down. "Ah! It's Kiba, Akamaru, Gaara, Shino, Lee, and Ino!" In an instant Naruto and I stopped fighting and knelt next to him looking down through a man-size gate. Indeed those were our friends, but they looked unconscious.

"Let's open this up." Naruto looked at me and I nodded. We both grabbed the edges of the gate and pulled. Even with our combined strength it didn't budge. Naruto fell onto his butt and I bent over trying to catch my breath.

"Mmm…" I looked up to see Shikamaru thinking then he stood up and looked around the walls. I watched as he inspected many things then stared at a nest of spiders who stared back at him with unblinking eyes. I stood up straight and gripped onto my sword. Naruto took out a kunai and approached slowly. "Easy you two…" I bit my lip and watched as Shikamaru pushed the spiders away. To my surprise the spiders didn't bite him, but only moved aside. He reached past them and into the wall. When his hand came out he had a key.

"How did you…" Naruto asked as Shikamaru came over and began to unlock the lock that was on the gate. I failed to notice the lock; that made me feel stupid. It must be all this time spending with Naruto.

"I had this weird feeling that spiders tend to leave me alone thanks to this marking on my face." Shikamaru threw the lock off then pulled the gate up, and was about to jump down when suddenly someone came flying through and attached themselves to Shikamaru's neck.

"AND THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE!" It was Kiba, and he looked pissed. Naruto and I raced forward and ripped him off Shikamaru. Was this the clone pretending to be our Kiba? "LET ME GO! YOU STUPID CLONES ARE DYING HERE AND NOW!" Nope. It was definitely our Kiba.

"OI KIBA SHUT UP AND CALM DOWN!" Naruto shouted back. Kiba stopped struggling. I glanced at Shikamaru who was holding his neck and coughing several times.

"…Naruto-kun?" It was Lee's voice, and a few moments later Lee jumped out followed by Akamaru, Ino, Gaara, and finally Shino. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Shikamaru-kun!"

"Is… it really you Shikamaru?" Ino asked kneeling next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru nodded through a cough. Ino held her hands to his throat and started to heal.

"….Oh… Ooops." I turned my face to the Kiba in my arms and gave a sigh. "Er… you guys can let me go now." Naruto and I let go and stood back.

"Did my clone do something to upset you Kiba…?" Shikamaru asked.

"Ahaha… yeah you could say that. Sorry about that Shikamaru." Kiba rubbed his head sheepishly then sat down with Akamaru. I nodded to Naruto; he went out of the room to get Hinata, Tenten, and Choji. I turned to Gaara, Lee and Shino.

"Are any of you hurt?"

"We are completely unharmed, Sasuke-kun!" Lee answered for them. I nodded and counted in my head.

"Then… that makes everyone accounted for." I said looking to Shikamaru.

"Then let's get the hell out of this temple. Been here longer than I wanted." He mumbled standing up with Ino's help.

"You… have found the others? Including my siblings?" Gaara asked. I gave him a quick nod. A look of relief flooded his usual expressionless face. He must have been very worried about them.

Hinata, Tenten, and Choji came into the room; and chatter followed after them. They were all beginning to relax. Not a good idea. Shikamaru noticed it too.

"C'mon, we can celebrate ONCE we're out. I have explaining to do as we run." Shikamaru turned to Hinata. "Do you have enough chakra to lead us out of here?"

"N… No I don't. I'm sorry Shikamaru-san."

"Great. We've been in here who knows how damn long… we should have marked our way as we went." I growled frustrated.

"I got an idea." Kiba got to his feet and came over to us. "We can use Akamaru to back trace your scent. It will only work for a little while depending on how long you've gone, but by then Hinata will have enough chakra."

"…It's our best shot. Do it." Shikamaru instructed.

"Bossy…" Akamaru sniffed me as I was the closest then sniffed the ground and barked charging forward. "Let's go!" Kiba ran after him with the rest of us following after.

-oO0-o)

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_ My fireball blazed through hundreds of spiders and a dying screech erupted into the air all around. While we had been trying to escape, spiders had begun crawling out of the walls. They were almost to the point of swarming over us as well. I stepped back and inhaled to do another fire attack, but I miscalculated my step and my foot fell into a hole. I fell onto my back and heard a crack as I landed wrong. "GAH!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino quickly came over to me and pulled me out of the hole. I winced as throbbing pain went through my leg. _Why am I the one always getting hurt?_ Ino touched my leg then began to heal it.

"Sasuke, Ino! Watch out!" Naruto throw a kunai over our heads. A spider fell down and landed on the leg Ino was trying to heal. I gripped my hands as a new pain flooded through and glared over at Naruto who gave a sweat drop expression.

"….AAAAAAAH!" Ino screamed and swat the spider away. I stared at her confused then slowly understood. She hated creepy things.

"Ino! Calm down and hurry up." I commanded to her. She looked at me and slowly settled down then began to heal again.

"Meh, Sasuke you are so-" Naruto didn't get to finish. A hole out of nowhere appeared underneath me, Naruto, and Ino. I felt air rush up and then we all started to fall. I tried reaching out for a grip but the walls were slimy. Ino gripped onto my arm as we tumbled toward the beyond.

-oO0-o)

"Sasuke!" A voice called to me making me groan. I opened my eyes and blinked several times. Naruto was looking over me. I slowly sat up then winced and reached for my leg. It still felt broken. "I don't think you should be sitting up, your leg…"

_Wasn't Ino supposed to heal…_ I thought then remembered what happened. I looked around and saw that were in a large circular room that was lightly lit in a luminous green. Ino was against a wall next to me seeming unconscious.

"What happened, Naruto?" I asked rubbing my head before gripping my leg tightly, and leaning back against the wall.

"Besides falling down a hole? I don't know. I woke up first. Ino and you were unconscious so I place Ino against the wall, and you on the ground then took a look around." Naruto frowned.

"What did you find?"

"It's just a circular room with no way out. Even the hole we fell down is gone. The only thing here is a green fire burning in the middle." He pointed toward the center and I looked over.

"Green? C'mon Naruto, fire isn't pure green by …" I stopped in the middle of my sentence as I blinked at the fire. It was green as he had said. Green fire is possible, but only when burning copper.

"See, see! It's green! That isn't possible, is it?"

"No. Not by itself… I can't see from here, is there something burning?" Naruto gave a confused expression but went over and checked. He came back shaking his head. "Great. Something else unnatural."

"Something is making it burn that color?" He asked.

"Yeah, you only seen green fire burn with copper, but it would eventually turn to an orange/red flame."

"Alright. I'm officially even more spooked." Naruto hung his head, but brought it back up when Ino stirred. I turned my head toward her.

"Uh… wha…" She blinked open her eyes and looked around. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun?"

"We're here, Ino." Naruto answered.

"Where… are we?"

"We have yet to know the answer to that." I answered this time. She turned to me then leaned over my leg.

"Oh no! Your leg seems worse…"

"Wonderful." I mumbled sarcastically. "Can you repair it?"

"I… I can't completely, I haven't learned that far like Sakura…" She placed her hands above my leg and began to heal. I winced gripping my hands tightly as pain surged.

"Sasuke… I'm going to look around again." Naruto started to walk and I watched as he traveled around the perimeter looking for a way out. He kicked the wall then held his leg in pain. I rolled my eyes and groaned in frustration at Naruto's stupidity. Then he did something smart. He created a shadow clone and began to create his Rasengan. When completed he thrust the Rasengan into the wall and grinded. After a few seconds though he flew back and rolled backwards across the ground until he came to a crashing stop next to us.

"Wha… what happened?" Ino asked. I blinked at Naruto as he got up dizzily. My eyes wandered to where he had stroke, but there wasn't a single mark.

"I… I don't know…" He sat down and rubbed his head. "Some kind of force repelled me back…"

"That's right. Your Jutsus won't work in this room. Not as long as the green flame is lit." I heard my voice echo around as. A chill went down my spine.

"Eh, what did you say Sasuke?" Naruto asked looking at me; I punched his arm.

"Idiot! That wasn't me…"

"Then… if it wasn't you…"

"Sasuke-kun's clone…" Ino finished off as she slowly stood up. Naruto quickly got up as well and looked around. "Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't stand on that leg." I frowned; I would be quite defenseless.

My clone's voice didn't come back. We stayed on edge as we glanced around the room. Nothing was coming, and the only noise was the fire popping randomly. Then, the wall seemed to open up and three people stepped out.

Myself, Naruto, and Ino; our clones.

"This looks like it'll be quite easy, eh? My doubles hurt too." Why do they insist on saying double when THEY'RE the copies here? It was irritating. The wall closed behind them making the only escape route disappear. I pulled out a kunai as using my sword while sitting was nearly impossible. "Now then. Let's have some fun, shall we?" My clone motioned with his hand and Ino and Naruto charged toward us.

"Keep your heads together and aim where we need to!" I commanded to Ino and Naruto. "And Naruto… don't use your shadow clones…"

"What? Why?" He asked just as he and his clone clashed together. Ino was in the same predicament.

"Think about it idiot! He looks like you, is wearing the same clothes…" I grumbled. Naruto kicked his clone away and blinked.

"Oh…RIGHT GOT IT!" Naruto attacked his clone and both began to struggle. I glanced to see how Ino was doing. She was struggling against her clone and trying to gain the upper hand.

"You have no time to be looking away." I turned my head forward and up quickly to see myself looming over. He had a devilish grin on his face. I struggled to get up, but my leg was causing too much pain for that. He noticed my struggle and his grin became wider. He lifted his foot up and thrust it down onto my broken leg making me scream out. I dropped my kunai as he did it again and again.

"SASUKE!" I heard Naruto yell over my screams. From the corner of my eye I saw him race toward me, but was intercepted by his own clone. Getting frustrated, I placed my hand over and caught my clone's foot.

"Stop… it…" I gasped out as he pulled his foot away. The pain was unbearable, but I slid my hands against the wall and slowly pulled myself to my feet. It hurt like hell, but I managed to stand on my unbroken leg and keep my balance. I lifted my head up and glared at my clone. He was smirking and being patient.

He hadn't killed me yet to watch me suffer. _Sadistic bastard._ I swung my fist forward in hopes to hit his face, but he easily blocked it. Then he grabbed my neck and lifted me up. I grabbed his hand and tried to pry myself free, but he was strong. He turned around and threw me; I hit Naruto and both of us crashed into the wall. I screamed out as pain rushed through my entire body.

Laughing erupted then I felt something stab through my leg making me scream again. I looked up weakly and to my leg. There was a sword through it.

"GAH!" I looked quickly to my right to see Naruto get stabbed through his shoulder by his clone. Then a scream to my left as Ino came crashing into the wall next to me. We were getting beat badly.

The clones jumped back with such cruel expressions. They just wanted to see us suffer. It didn't look like they cared to kill us right away, or more likely they didn't think we could win. _How arrogant._ That would be their downfall though.

"Naruto, Ino." I began to whisper. Naruto fell to his knees landing next to me, while Ino leaned against me. "We need to strike fast… they don't seem like they'll kill us right away. They're playing with us."

"Tch. They're even more sadistic than you Sasuke."

"Hey, I'm not sadistic, Naruto!"

"Yeah right! You're-"

"SHUSH! You guys fight too much." We looked at Ino and I shook my head. "Sasuke-kun let me heal your leg."

"Pull the sword out quickly." I braced myself and watched as she pulled the sword out and immediately began to heal. I bit my lip to prevent from screaming then looked to our clones. They were still standing there and it seemed like they didn't care for our plans, but to make sure I kept my voice very low. I doubt they could lip read. "Naruto… you have smoke bombs?"

"Yeah."

"Ino… use your mind transfer on Naruto's clone as soon as the smoke goes up. This will be risky. I'll use Sharingan to guide you, but you must use it on my command otherwise…"

"I'll miss and won't be back to my body for a few minutes…" She looked at me seriously and I gave a quick nod. She healed up my wound and braced herself.

"Don't start until the smoke bombs go off… Naruto. Pin your clone down when Ino has control, and once that happens I want you to leave Ino so Naruto can take care of him. If we're fast enough we can confuse them. Once you have your body back, Ino, take care of your clone. Do we understand?"

"Yeah, but question. How are you going to defeat your clone Sasuke-kun?" Naruto asked. I looked to him then my clone and glared.

"It'll be… a ruthless way to kill him, but after your clones are down… bring him to me. I can't move after all." I looked over at my clone's sword then grabbed it. "Ino, Naruto. In order for me to kill my clone, you'll have to knock your clones out. As we saw with Kankuro, as soon as you kill your clone you go unconscious. If that happens while my clone is still alive…" I left it at that knowing they would understand.

"Oi! Let's do this then and stop talking." I nodded to Naruto then looked to Ino. She nodded back to me.

"Is all your worthless planning done?" My clone asked with a smug expression. I turned to him.

"We'll see if it's worthless or not. _Sharingan!_" And with that, we began.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Naruto**_

When Sasuke activated his Sharingan I quickly pulled out several smoke bombs and threw them towards our clones. They hadn't expected that. I knew where my clone was and listened to make sure he wasn't going to move.

"…Ino our 10 o'clock!" Sasuke pointed to his far left then Ino made her signs and aimed. A few seconds past then she went limp. Trusting that it hit, I got up and quickly ran towards where my clone was. When I was able to barely see him I tackled him to the ground and pinned him there. He made no effort to fight back at all and only gave a smile back at me. Ino had hit her mark.

I brought my hand up and nodded. My clone gave a nod back then his eyes blanked out. Placing all my force into my hand I brought it down and smacked my clone hard hoping to knock him out. He didn't wake back up, and I could tell he was still alive. I heard a scream and knew that Ino was taking out her clone.

"What's going on? Naruto? Ino?" It was Sasuke's voice, but I knew it to be his clone. The smoke was beginning to clear. Knowing it would be harder to take Sasuke's clone down than mine I got up and seized the raven hair I saw bobbing about. He struggled to get out of my grip, but Ino came to my side and began to help me. Eventually with both of us we pinned his face first to the floor.

The smoke cleared and showed our plan had worked well. _Sasuke! That worked perfectly._ I grinned. The Sasuke under me struggled, but there was no way I was going to let him up. _Heh, I got to take out Sasuke… even if it's his clone._ That thought gave me strength to keep my hold.

"Alright, Ino, Naruto…" OUR Sasuke began to talk and I looked over at him. "Before we finish this… I want to ask a question."

"You won't be getting answers from me! Even as I come to my death." Sasuke's clone spat back.

"We'll see about that."

"You should know yourself. You would never tell anything."

"Yeah? But I know how to make someone talk."

"Tch. I won't."

"HEY, HEY, HEY! SHUT UP. I'm getting confused who's talking!" I groaned out. They sounded exactly the same so I couldn't tell the difference; it was making me very irritated.

"Sorry Naruto… What I want to ask is about the green fire. What is its purpose?" I blinked and gave Sasuke this weird look.

"That's your only question? It just prevents breaking the wall with jutsus. I already said this!"

"That's not my only question. How do we get out?"

"…Heh. You'll never get that out of me." The two Sasuke's stared at each other then our Sasuke nodded. Ino and I picked up the clone and dragged him over to Sasuke. I pushed the clone to his knees and held onto his arms tightly. Ino went over to Sasuke and helped him to stand up then he held the sword up, and struck it quickly into his clone's left shoulder.

Sasuke was right, it was a ruthless way to kill someone, but we had to do it. The clone screamed and trembled before going lifeless in my arms. I dropped him as Ino set Sasuke down.

"Sasuke… it will be bad if we're all unconscious. I'm going to tie my clone up and wait for one of you two to wake up before killing him." I suggested. Sasuke blinked at me and nodded.

"Alright." Sasuke's clone turned into shadows and floated before flowing into Sasuke. Sasuke eyes dulled for a few seconds before he went limp. I nodded to Ino who got up pulling out a kunai and went over to her clone.

-oO0-o)

I gently placed Ino next to Sasuke then placed my still unconscious, tied up clone away from them. I made sure he had no ninja gear, and that his hands were tied tightly to prevent escape and jutsus. I sat down and stared at the green flame as I waited for the effects to wear off Sasuke and Ino.

If the flame's only purpose was to prevent someone from escaping with jutsus then it was pretty redundant to have it at all. I gazed at it watching the flames dance. My eyes started to slowly close, but I shook myself awake. I sat up more straight and tried to stay attentive, but soon my eyes began to droop again and this time I let them.

**Naruto. This is no time to be sleeping.**

I shot my eyes opened and looked around. Instead of a luminous green, it was a luminous orange. I knew where I was and it made me groan out in frustration.

**It seems you heeded my advice boy and remained wise around yourself.**

I slowly looked up and watched as the demon fox's eyes appeared in the cage. "Now what do you want…"

**You know what I want, Naruto.**

"Yeah? Well I'm not giving it to you, but you are giving me the information I need." I crossed my arms glaring at him. He stared back then began to laugh.

**What makes you think I will? You can't order me around, boy!**

"I can, and I will." I wasn't about to let him anger me. "If you don't give me the information about Kumo Konjou, you will never be used ever again." I threatened, but the laughter continued. I couldn't think of anything better to threaten him with except…

**Boy! Your attempt is useless… You can't-**

"I'll kill myself." That stopped him.

…**You wouldn't.**

"If it prevents you from gaining what you want, I'll do. I'll make you see what death is like." I heard I growl and he bubbled out of the cage.

**A self-induced death coma? AHAHAHA! Naruto, for you to manage that would be an amazing feat. Fine, I will give you the information you desire.**

I blinked. I was quite surprised that he decided that. I stared at his bubbly foam and waited.

**Kumo Konjou has a weakness. When he is in a state to take a host, he is very vulnerable. There is a tender spot under his abdomen. You will know it when you see it… that is where you will strike him. He will be immobilized enough for you and your pesky friends to kill him…**

"Hmph… I see." I turned away from him indicating I was through speaking with him. The bubble foamed around me making me suspicious.

**Naruto… if again you threaten your life to get rid of me… you will regret it.**

Suddenly I was covered with foam making my vision go black. My eyes shot open and green light flooded my sight. I narrowed my eyes then blinked several times.

Back in the circular room with the green fire. I shook my head and looked around. No one was awake yet. Mumbling, I curled up and stared back at the fire to wait again.

Eventually Sasuke woke up giving me the chance to kill my clone, which I quickly did. I lied down and waited for the shadows to be absorbed into my body. As it happened a thought crossed my mind before I went unconscious.

_How are we getting out of this room?_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru, Hinata, Tenten, Choji, Lee, Gaara, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru. Time: Unknown. Place: Temple of the Wicked.**_

_**Shikamaru**_

"Clash!" I bent down as Clash clambered up onto my shoulder. He squeaked and rubbed his head against mine.

"_Is everyone alright? Alysa-sama has arrived with Neji-sama to Sakura-sama."_ I gave him a nod then sighed.

"Clash… quit the -sama… it's annoying."

"_I am sorry."_

"But anyway…" I came over to my friends and sat next to them. The rampaging spiders had been taken care of quickly after Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino fell down that hole. "We're alright, but we've lost three of our friends. A hole opened up and swallowed them. Can you find them for us?" Clash gave a squeak then jumped off my shoulder. He squished himself to the floor, eyes closed.

"S-Shikamaru?" I looked up at Choji who was pointing a shaking figure at Clash. "T-that… spider is it…"

I gave a small laugh. "Choji, this is Clash. I think he spoke with you before, right?" Choji stared at me as if I was crazy then he slowly began to remember.

"The one that spoke to my mind?" I gave a nod, he relaxed. "So the spider is an ally."

"Yeah, no need to worry." I turned back to Clash. He stayed on the ground for a few more minutes before getting up.

"_They are not far, I will lead you to them then lead you out of the temple."_

"Alright, good. Everyone hear that?" I heard a few yes, and saw a few nods. "Then let's go and make sure Naruto, Sasuke, and Ino are all right." Choji helped me to my feet before we set out after Clash who began to skitter through the corridors ahead of us.

"Shikamaru, wait." I stopped when Shino spoke. "Let Gaara, Hinata, Lee and I leave. You do not need all of us to help, and it would be better for most of us to get out of here." I thought quickly on that and nodded.

"Hinata, if you have the energy use your Byakugan, otherwise Shino?" He nodded in understanding. Hinata took a deep breath, activated Byakugan and took off with Gaara, Lee, and Shino following after.

With that settled I chased after Clash with Kiba, Akamaru, Choji, and Tenten behind me. We ran through several corridors and I was beginning to think Clash had no idea where he was going because it was all looking the same. Then he stopped. In front of us was a hole and he crawled to the edge.

"_Down this hole there is a door at the bottom. They are within there. There is a ladder to climb. I will go down and unlock the door."_ And without waiting for any of us to reply Clash shot down the hole.

I sighed and turned to my group. "Alright, let's get down there and see if we can-"

"_TSUUGA!"_ A sudden crashing noise interrupted me and the wall shook around us. Kiba dropped to the ground just as someone flew over him crashing through the other wall. Kiba growled while Akamaru jumped through the hole in the wall.

"Stay here! I'll deal with my clone. Hurry you three, go get those idiots."

"Kiba wait!" I yelled after him as he jumped through the opening. He didn't come back. Cursing quickly I swung my body over the hole and grabbed onto the ladder. "Let's hurry."

-oO0-o)

I broke a light stick and looked around the surroundings. There was a tunnel opposite to the door that Clash mentioned. The tunnel was pitch black and I wasn't about to head through there. I turned to the door to see a strange green glow around the cracks. Clash was busy sticking his leg inside of a lock. After a few moments I heard it click. Gently I placed Clash on my shoulder and took a deep breath.

Last time I opened a lock, someone hurled themselves at me. I was praying it wouldn't happen again. Slowly I cracked the door open and peaked inside.

"Sasuke? Naruto? Ino?" I called out.

"Shikamaru, is that you?" Naruto responded. I opened the door more and stepped in. The strange green glow I noticed was coming from a green fire in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, I'm here with Tenten, Choji, and Clash." I glanced around and spotted Naruto leaning over Sasuke with Ino running toward us. She hugged me almost making me fall over.

"Shikamaru! I'm so glad that you're here. I thought we were going to be trapped down here with no way to escape." She let go and smiled.

"Is that so… Er what's with the green fire?"

"Oh, it prevents people within this room from using their jutsus on the wall…" I lifted up an eyebrow at Ino blinking slowly. _That's… kind of weird._ I thought then looked toward Naruto and Sasuke coming toward us. I blinked again.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?"

"Che, my clone. He hurt and stabbed me a few times." Sasuke winced as he leaned on Naruto. He was entirely off his left leg.

"You guys fought with them?" I looked around the room wondering if I would get a fleeting glance of someone.

"YEAH! And we WON!" Naruto grinned then blinked at me. "Shikamaru… how is everyone else? And where are they?" I saw him looking around and behind us.

"Shino took Hinata, Gaara, and Lee out of the temple."

"Oh…Kiba and Akamaru?"

"…Fighting their clones." I motioned for them through the door. Choji grabbed Sasuke's other arm and helped him along with Naruto. "Will that leg be alright?"

"I don't know… Sakura needs to look at it since Ino can't do anymore." Sasuke answered. I frowned then looked up the ladder.

"…How are we getting you up this?" Naruto asked.

"Um…" I thought quickly then glanced at Clash on my shoulder. "Clash, can you create a net of web strong enough to hold a person?"

"_Yes, Shikamaru."_

"Then please do so." Clash jumped off my shoulder and began to make a net. I leaned against the wall waiting for it to be completed then my eyes wandered back to the tunnel.

"That tunnel leads directly to a supply room." Ino spoke up. I glanced at her in surprise. She must have been watching me. "It was in my clone's memories."

"Any… good supplies that we can use Ino?"

"Mmm… yes actually. There are a lot of explosive items."

"Those we could use. I'll go down and…"

"No, I'll do it." Tenten interrupted taking out a light stick and breaking it to make it glow. "I can carry weapons and supplies a lot better than some people can."

"…Be safe." She nodded to me and ran down the hallway. I looked down to see the net complete. Sasuke was placed on it carefully then we wrapped it around him, and attached a couple of strings for hoisting. "Wait here Sasuke, we'll pull you up."

After we got to the top and had Sasuke safely up we rested for a little, and waited for Tenten to come back. While we waited I began to ponder on a few things.

The mark on my face didn't hurt anymore, and Kumo Konjou seems to have left me alone since that attack when we arrived here. It very much concerned me to what was going on. I sighed greatly and leaned my head back against a wall. We had no time to be sitting here, but we needed to wait for Tenten…

Naruto came over and sat next to me as then stared at the ceiling.

"Shikamaru. I have something to tell you." I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "It's about Kumo Konjou. I know how to immobilize him so we can kill him."

"WHAT? Was that in your clone's memory?" That had to be the best news I'd heard since we had came here. I looked at him anxious to know, but he seemed… distant. "Naruto?"

"Mmm… Well not exactly… A peculiar animal told me." He leaned forward resting his head on upraised knees. I lifted up an eyebrow wondering who he meant then it hit me.

The Kyuubi.

"What… did this peculiar animal say?" I knew he didn't want the others knowing about the Kyuubi, so I kept to the way he was referring to it.

"There is a tender spot under Kumo Konjou's abdomen, but… we can't reach it unless he's vulnerable." He seemed reluctant to continue. I gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How do we get him vulnerable?" I asked gently. His head came up and his eyes met mine.

"When he's in the state of taking a host."

_A host…_ I processed that. In other words he was saying…

Me.

Naruto smiled and got up going over to Sasuke. I only stared after him, and then I gripped my hands tightly.

_If that was what we needed to kill Kumo Konjou then so be it._

-oO0-o)

More time past. I was beginning to worry. I glanced to Ino and she knew what was on my mind.

"The supply room wasn't that far. She should have been here by now… Do you want me to go check on her?"

"I'll do it, Shikamaru." I glanced up at Choji who was already going down the ladder.

"Ah… alright Choji. Be careful though." I looked after him worriedly. He smiled at me.

"Don't worry, I'll be back! Go ahead and leave Shikamaru."

"But you won't know the way out!" I protested.

"Then I'll stay behind, Shikamaru." Ino gave a smile. "I know the way out because of my clone's memories… You guys really need to get to Sasuke to Sakura and sitting here is wasting time for his leg." I glanced between them then sighed.

"Alright, alright! You have a point. Stay out of trouble then…" I went over to Sasuke and with the help of Naruto lifted him up and began to walk with Clash leading us away.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Temple Entrance**_

_**Temari**_

"Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sasuke have just emerged from the temple." Neji told me. I stood up and looked up the steps. Indeed Shikamaru was up there, he was staring confused at everyone. I raced up the steps and hugged Shikamaru.

"You guys are alright…" I buried my head into his shoulder. Kankuro came next to me.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Shino and the others killed their clones as they were trying to get out of the temple. Apparently Hinata killed hers last and is still unconscious. What of you guys?" Kankuro answered Shikamaru.

"Everyone but Tenten and Choji have managed to kill their clones in our group."

"And they are where?" Kankuro looked up to the top of the stairs.

"Tenten went to get supplies… Choji and Ino stayed to help and lead her out. Has Neji and Alysa been found?" Shikamaru sat down making me sit with him.

"Yes they have, and more good news is that Sakura and Neji have also killed their clones." I answered this time. Shikamaru looked relieved, but worried. "Are you worried for Choji, Ino, and Tenten?" He nodded to me.

"Don't be, I bet they'll be out here soon enough. Now why don't you eat? I found a room of food not to far in the temple." Kankuro patted Shikamaru's head and went to get the food. I leaned into Shikamaru and stared out across the trees.

"…We'll get out of here." I said with confidence. "Definitely, and we'll all be home…" I gripped my necklace smiling greatly. 

"You know… if Shino's group got attacked then I imagine Tenten and Choji will as well…"

"They'll be fine, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, but that leaves… me and you." I glanced up at him and blinked.

"…You're right. If that happens then everyone but us will have killed their clones." I looked up toward the sky thinking. "What… will they do being the only ones left of the clones? Sakura's clone… tried to kill Neji and Kankuro. She said this: _'They killed their doubles, so they don't need to be alive anymore. Anyone of your friends that manages to kill their doubles deserves to be dead! They can't be used anymore for Kumo Konjou-sama's plans'_." I recited what she said exactly.

"…Is that so. Perhaps our clones will just let us kill them without a fight." He laughed, joking. I rolled my eyes and punched his arm. He grinned rubbing the back of his head. "But she's saying how much we are only pawns to Kumo Konjou. With his plans crumbling at his feet… it makes me wonder what he will try now." Shikamaru's face was serious and distant. I looked up to see Neji, Alysa, and Itzal coming up to us.

"We can put light on that, Shikamaru." Neji answered to Shikamaru's uncertainty.

"Oh?"

"He's already trying to do something. He has made it stop snowing and the sun has begun to shine. Have you noticed?"

"…No. What does it mean, Neji?"

"He is preparing to leave to our world. Shikamaru… we need to kill him now if we hope to leave."

"…Yeah I figured as much. As soon as Tenten, Choji, and Ino get here we are leaving for him."

"Understood… Shikamaru, may I ask if you have a plan to kill him? Alysa and I have thought of a way… but you may not like it."

"…Go on." Shikamaru leaned forward resting his chin on upraised hands. Neji glanced at Alysa seeming to get permission.

"Kumo Konjou is vulnerable when… he is taking a host, so in order to strike him…" Neji stopped to let it sink in. It sunk in fast for me. I stood up and gripped my hands.

"Are you crazy? You want Shikamaru to be taken control of? There has to be another way to kill him than that!" I was furious and Neji only looked away from me. I went to grab him but Shikamaru grabbed my arm.

"I'll do it." I turned on Shikamaru eyes wide.

"Why?" I asked, upset.

"Because… Naruto mentioned to me the same thing. Kumo Konjou has a weak spot under his abdomen and the only way to get to it is to have him vulnerable." He slowly looked up at me. "This is the best way. As he attempts to take control you guys need to strike there. Hopefully… with that he will let go of his hold on me." I slowly sat down next to him and sighed.

"I… hadn't thought it that way." He smiled at rubbed my head.

"Of course not. You're too hot-headed for that." I pushed him over and rolled my eyes.

"Jerk." He laughed at me making me laugh as well. Kankuro frowned at us as bowls of food were placed in our hands. Sakura came up behind us.

"What are you guys laughing at?"

"Nothing. Is there something you needed, Sakura?" I asked clearing my throat of laughter then began to eat my food. She looked between us, shrugged, and then pointed to the temple.

"Yeah, Tenten, Choji and Ino have emerged. It seems they were attacked by their clones and won."

"What I concluded." Shikamaru answered.

"Tenten was hurt quite a bit, but will be fine. Choji and Ino are alright with minor injuries. Also Tenten has a load of explosive weapons and tags."

"Good. We can use those. I'd like to make an announcement so can everyone gather around?" Shikamaru looked left and right as everyone came over except for Tenten and Sasuke. He stood, and so did I grabbing his hand.

"We have a plan to kill Kumo Konjou. It requires for Kumo Konjou to take over me, or begin trying. Now, don't argue with this. I want all of you to focus on his abdomen. Naruto has informed me that Kumo Konjou has a weak spot under his abdomen, and while he is trying to take me over he is vulnerable."

"He'll have spiders guarding him." Neji added in.

Naruto stepped up and looked at everyone. "The weak spot should be really obvious. I'm not sure what it looks like, but from what I learned a strike to that point will definitely immobilize Kumo Konjou."

"These explosive items I found," it was Tenten this time, "we could use them on Kumo Konjou once he's immobilized."

Shikamaru gave a nod to her. "We will go together to fight him, and we will return home together…. So if there is nothing else, let's go."

"Wait. You still have one task left." Shikamaru's voice echoed behind us and we all turned around. At the bottom of the stone steps was Shikamaru… and myself.

I growled and gripped my fan, but my clone raised a hand up. "Not needed. We didn't come to fight."

"Huh…" It was Shikamaru -not his clone- who answered. "Then why are you here…" Our two clones looked to each other then came up the steps. I tensed up and gripped my fan tightly. Shikamaru, held my hand tighter as well. I was prepared for a trick, but they stopped a couple of feet away from us.

"Shikamaru…" Shikamaru's clone pulled out a kunai but laid it in his palm. "I… was never meant to kill you, but it is time for you to kill me."

"That goes the same for me." My clone also had a kunai in her palm.

"…Say what?" Shikamaru and I answered at the same time. Our clones stepped up again and this time stopped right at the step below us.

"Take the kunai, and kill us." They held up the kunai for us to take. I let go of my fan slowly unsure if this was deception or not. Shikamaru and I glanced at each other then I hesitantly took the kunai. I stared at my clone and without giving it a second thought struck her left shoulder.

She fell forward, and out of unconscious reaction, I caught her. She went limp in my arms and I knew she had died. It was… scary to see myself in my own arms, so I couldn't help but shed a tear. She turned into shadows and floated in front of me. I prepared myself keeping a grip on Shikamaru's hand. The shadows flowed into me; I fell to my knees curling up against Shikamaru's leg feeling as if sleep was overtaking me.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru**_

Temari fell and lay against my leg. I glanced at my clone and he was still waiting for me to kill him.

"…Sakura, move Temari. I don't want her to fall down the stairs when it's my time." I commanded keeping my eye on my clone. He smiled at me with a satisfied look on his face. I waited till Temari was moved before I grabbed the kunai, and cautiously held it above my clone's left shoulder. It was harder to do this than I thought.

Not waiting for me any longer my clone grabbed my hand. With his other hand he grabbed the back of my head and pulled it down to whisper in my ear. "Temari was always part of the plan, even before you two met." And before I could ask what he meant, he thrust the kunai down. He went limp and I caught him. Fear shot through me at his statement.

_Temari was always part of the plan? Who's plan… Kumo Konjou's?_ I sat down as my clone turned to shadows. I stared at the shadows wondering if the answers were in there. I closed my eyes and felt the rush then… the memories began.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

(If you get confused, these next parts that are bold and italized are Shikamaru's clone. The parts that are normal are the real Shikamaru.)

_**I opened my eyes. Nothing. Everything was dark and silent. No light, no movement. My arms and legs felt connected to my body, but I couldn't move them.**_

_**What's going on? Where am I?**_

_**A light shone behind me and I turned to look then it blinded me. After a moment it cleared and I was suddenly in a whole different world.**_

_**Webs and spiders everywhere. It was so huge. My eyes drifted around. There was no one else here.**_

_**Am I the only one here?**_

_**I pulled at my arms. Webs were attached to them. I tried pulling harder and the webs gave away. I fell upside down to be hanging on my legs. Frantic, I struggled. The webs snapped and I fell down landing on a giant web-like net.**_

_**I'm scared… Mommy? Daddy?**_

_**I looked around. I saw a spider crawl toward me making me scoot away, but I didn't get far. I stopped and ran into something. Looking up I noticed it was the leg… of a giant spider! I screamed and fell back again.**_

"_**Be calm, Shikamaru." It spoke! It spoke my name! "My name is Kumo Konjou, and I am not here to hurt you." Kumo Konjou? He was the one who had just... **_

"_**You! You were the one that was trying to get me kidnapped!" I backed away slowly.**_

"_**Let me explain. You are merely a copy of the real Shikamaru, and have been born here under my powers." I stopped and stared after him. A strange feeling welled up inside of me.**_

"_**I'm… A copy?" I didn't feel afraid at the spider, I felt safe now for some weird reason. "Does that mean… I'm not real? I'm just a shadow clone of the real Shikamaru?" I blinked up at the spider, but it suddenly laughed at me.**_

"_**Silly boy. You are real, not a shadow clone. You are of all flesh and blood, yet you are incomplete without the real Shikamaru. Do you understand?"**_

_**I processed what he said and I slowly began to understand.**_

"_**You made me… from the real Shikamaru… Then what purpose am I here to serve you for?"**_

"_**Indeed… you are intelligent. I will tell you my boy and listen well."**_

I was confused at first, but understood. This must have been the time when Kumo Konjou first made contact with me in Konoha. I could hear that I was only a child. It seemed like the very, very first contact from Kumo Konjou had made my clone, meaning the contact from a year ago hadn't like everyone else. The memory changed.

_**I crossed my arms and saw a person I had never known before coming toward me. A girl with four pigtails was running toward me with a smile then she hugged me.**_

"_**Huh? Who is this Kumo Konjou-sama?" I asked, startled.**_

"_**Let me show you." I watched as shadows floated down then into my head. My eyes widened and many memories flashed around my brain in an instant. Slowly I felt myself relax and the memories settled down.**_

"_**Oh… Temari." I smiled at her and hugged her back finally.**_

"_**Those memories I managed to gain just now. Take care of them. Others from your childhood are coming to join you. You know what to do, yes?" I gave a nod and looked to Temari.**_

"_**I know what to do as well Shikamaru. We will train hard and have everyone go back to Konoha with more strength than the originals ever had."**_

"_**Yes… but you know what happens to us, right?" A sad smile crossed Temari's face making my heart ache.**_

"_**We die unlike the others." I nodded and held her close and waited for the others to appear.**_

He loved her… He had felt the same emotions as I did. That made perfect sense after all since he was a fragment of me. But… Kumo Konjou had changed him, corrupted him. If Kumo Konjou hadn't done that, he would have been just like me. I felt remorse then anger bubbled inside of me of Kumo Konjou. More memories flashed by. I was able to stop a few and watch them. Other memories went by so quickly I didn't get to see it, but they stuck there in my mind.

I noticed one memory that sparked my curiosity.

_**Kumo Konjou-sama's home. I stared up at it. I remarked how large it was again to Temari who scowled at me and gestured for us to go in. I entered and waited for Kumo Konjou to come out. The shaking of the ground made it apparent he was coming and then he was before us.**_

"_**They are coming."**_

"_**Our… doubles?" For some reason we adopted the word "doubles" instead of "clones" as clones were usually perfect copies. I believed we were not.**_

"_**Yes. They are. Pretend like you two wish to kill your originals to confuse them. Then… when Shikamaru and Temari are the last, do what is needed. I have prepared much for this moment. Do not fail me."**_

"_**Understood, Kumo Konjou-sama." Temari and I answered at the same time. Satisfied, Kumo Konjou shuffled back and into his den. The den where I was born. Great webs lurked back there with all his spiders. Hopefully all of this will work out and Alysa won't get in the way. Kumo Konjou will kill her at the end when she uses the ritual to transfer himself and us to the other world.**_

_**I stood up and looked out the window, grinning.**_

"_**Come, Temari. It's time we met up with everyone."**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I awoke from the memories. They had gone by so fast, but they had been frightening. One thing had been evident within the memories. Besides me, Temari also seemed to be strangely important. Why did he need her? I didn't want to know.

I slowly opened my eyes. Temari was already awake and helped me to my feet. We were at the edge of the swamp; our friends must have moved us away from the temple. I looked around.

Everyone was ready with determination on their faces.

I looked to the sky with a smile. I knew we could make it home no matter how hard it was going to be, or what doubts lay ahead. A small thought crossed my mind:

_Arrogance diminishes wisdom, and without that wisdom death will be swift._ A quote that Asuma-sensei used to tell me. Thinking of our clones it definitely applied. It also applied to Kumo Konjou. He had underestimated us, and become arrogant thinking he would win.

Turning away from the swampy lands of Angra Mainyu, I gazed upon the snowy desert of Morton.

_We're coming, Kumo Konjou._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Chapter 15 ends after a million pages later. /probably went overboard.

What I had planned in the past to kill off the clones was a bit different than this, but I came to the conclusion that I would not be able to write that at all. That's the only thing I didn't like about this chapter though, the death of the clones. And to not make this chapter a book, I had to cut down some of the first-persons to get rid of the clones.

By the way. Shikamaru and Temari's clones deaths were the only ones I had planned since the beginning of chapter 9…. /fails.

I really needed to finish this chapter so… sorry if it's not likeable. /bows in apology.

There are two more chapters left! So close to the end that I can't believe it. Although they definitely won't be as long as this one. Then I can finally declare this story finished and repent with Kitsune and Konoha High! X.x _/knows I got off track from Shikamaru and Temari. ;.;_

A preview quote of the upcoming chapter:

"_**With this, I can now take out the entire world. Nothing in this universe can stop me! Not one of you has the power to take me down, not even the Kyuubi!"**_


	16. Kumo Konjou

I'm coming to finish this. It's been so long since I started this up again. I don't even want to know the exact time of delay. So many things came up, and I just never got back around to finishing this.

No more. This story is ending, and I appreciate those that would even still wait for this.

The way it's written might be a little bit different from my other chapters since I have learned more about writing.

Unfortunately, with the last two chapters being so long, I'm not going to go back and edit them. There weren't any major errors that made the story hard to read as far as I could tell.

Anyway, enjoy Chapter 16. Chapter 17, the final chapter, will be up soon behind it.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Time: Dawn. Place: Across Morton.**_

_**Shikamaru**_

Alysa was in the lead with Itzal and Neji next to her. She was taking us directly to Kumo Konjou's lair. Behind her came me and the Sand Siblings while everyone else was behind and around us. I was tense, but having all my friends and Temari around me comforted my doubts.

I reached down and grabbed Temari's hand intertwining our fingers. She glanced at me giving a smile that I gladly returned.

A glanced around at everyone as we ran across the snowy desert. No one was without an injury, and everyone showed exhaustion. This battle before us was going to be hard. We couldn't rest because time was running short. I glanced to the east seeing the sun just beginning to rise. _The preparations have already begun, and now the ritual will begin shortly._

I took a deep breath before opening my mouth to speak, "everyone, I want to go over what we had planned one more time." Slowly, we all came to a stop and everyone gathered around me."Kumo Konjou knows we are coming, so we've lost the element of surprise. The good thing for us is that he's underestimating our strength. He doesn't expect us to be able to accomplish anything at all. We'll prove him wrong. Whatever happens, no matter what happens, we cannot panic! If we start doing that, we'll definitely lose. Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kankuro, if things start to get chaotic, get everyone back on their feet."

"Understood!" They all answered at the same time. I nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"This is how it's going to work when we get to his temple. We are going to head as a group of five one after another. The people I mentioned, you guys will be leaders of your groups. We'll discuss as we run who to put where. Alysa and Itzal… I'd say I want you to stay out of this, but I know that's not going to happen. Stay close to Neji, Sasuke, and Sakura since it seems you guys are quite attached to them, otherwise it doesn't matter which group you enter with. I'll go in first with my group and grab Kumo Konjou's attention. I don't know when or how he plans to take control of me, but it'll probably be swift. Once my group gets inside I'll throw a flare out for the signal for everyone else to get in as quickly as possible.

"Once he has me, find his weak point while avoiding his nasty, little bodyguards. Attack it with everything you've got. Do whatever you can to immobilize him. Also, I want you guys to watch after Temari and make sure Kumo Konjou doesn't do anything. He has a plan for her, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Temari couldn't find a memory that gave any clue." I took a deep breath before continuing. "He's a giant spider, so be extra careful while inside his chambers. There are definitely going to be a lot of sticky webs everywhere. Neji, Hinata, see if you can flow chakra through the webs to get anyone out of them. It's probably the best way to break them apart.

"This is going to be a rough battle, but I have confidence in all of you. We can accomplish this and we will make it home. All of us." I glanced at Alysa, Clash, and Itzal with a smile. There was no way I was going to leave them behind in this world. I stood up straight and glanced back across the direction we were heading and nodded to Alysa. She gave a smile then turned around and swiftly took the lead. We followed quickly after her.

-oO0-o)

I glanced behind me noting again who was in my group: Temari, Gaara, Ino, and Choji. I turned my head back to the entryway that led to Kumo Konjou's lair. Light humming and other strange noises could be heard from within. The ritual was starting and he was just waiting for me to get inside so he could finish. I didn't really want to do this, but I knew that if we wanted to get back home we had no choice.

Motioning with my fingers, Gaara brought out sand and moved it under us. Our plan was to use Gaara's sand as platforms because of the sticky webbing that would probably be laced across the ground. Gaara's job would be to defend us and not attack. Hopefully, it wouldn't become too chaotic.

With sand underneath us, Gaara flew us through the entryway and immediately as we entered everything went black. I pulled out a flare that Tenten had given me and flew it into the air. The signal. Quickly, everyone else appeared inside landing on Gaara's sand. I watched the flare stream across the air lighting webs on fire giving the room light.

It was hideous.

There were webs everywhere, and no end to them it seemed. The room was a lot larger than I had thought or seen within my clone's memories. There was an unbelievable amount of spiders roaming across the walls. I was beginning to really hate spiders and it would probably cause paranoia after this.

The spiders screeched loudly as some of them caught on fire. They began to scatter in panic as they tried to get away from the flames. I could feel everyone tense up greatly as they watched the horror before them, but a large concern formed in my mind as I examined the room.

Where was Kumo Konjou?

I couldn't find anything that showed where he would be. I looked right and left, up and down and to every corner as far as the light reached. There was absolutely no sign of him at all.

I began to panic.

Was this a trap? Yes, that was obvious that this was a trap to begin with, but where could he possibly be hiding? I turned and looked over at Alysa. Her eyes were wide with fear as she clenched her head tightly. Neji was holding her and trying to get her to concentrate. Kumo Konjou was messing with her mind, I could feel it. I quickly glanced to Temari to see if anything was wrong with her. Nothing; she stared back at me reflecting my face of emotions.

I gripped my hands tightly. He was here, but where could he possibly be hiding?

Suddenly out of nowhere, webs wrapped around Temari's body. I reached out grabbing her as did Choji who was on her other side. Gaara quickly maneuvered sand and tried to break the webs wrapped around her. It wasn't working and Choji and I were losing our grip. Ino came between us and grabbed hold as well.

"Hinata, Neji! We need help!" I pleaded as my grip was beginning to slip even more. Hinata quickly moved over to us and activated her Byakugan. She hopped onto sand that Gaara provided and sliced the webbing releasing Temari. Temari fell onto the sand with us, and we quickly began to get the webbing off her.

**Not bad, Shikamaru.** I tensed. Kumo Konjou's mind interacted with mine. **Such a nuisance those two are. I suppose if I want something, I must get rid of the problem first.**

My eyes widened when I knew what was about to happen. I opened my mouth to warn them, but I wasn't fast enough. Webs wrapped around Hinata and Neji and they were pulled away from the group. Alysa grabbed onto Neji, but Hinata was too far away from us to grab.

"Hinata!" Three people shouted at once with two of them jumping out to grab a hold of her.

"Naruto, Kiba!" I shouted as they missed her and fell down landing on the webs. They were now stuck. Bugs flew fast and wrapped around Hinata and a tug of war began between Shino and the webbing.

I heard a scream and saw Alysa and Neji zoom through the air and disappear into the darkness.

Shouts, panics, rescue attempts were flying everywhere across the room.

We were losing, and Kumo Konjou hadn't even made his appearance yet!

Taking a deep breath, I held onto Temari tightly and closed my eyes beginning to concentrate getting into my regular thinking process.

Everyone was in a state of panicking already, including me. Keeping our composure was extremely difficult when we were losing people. Kumo Konjou was messing with our minds and was probably waiting until the moment we were in full panic to strike. Gaara can't sustain us all on the sand very long especially if we needed to move around a lot. Webs were everywhere we could touch making it impossible to even leave the sand. What could be done to make it so we could move around easier, and stop all the panicking?

An idea popped into my mind. I reached back into my pocket and pulled out a kunai and an explosive note. Slowly, I stood up holding Temari as I glanced around the area. The spiders were beginning to stop panicking themselves and were heading towards us. Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru were in the most danger at this point. Keeping a hold of Temari, I ran past across the sand until I got to Tenten's side.

"Tenten," I spoke up grabbing her shoulder. There was some anxiety in her face. "I need you and Temari to get rid of the webbings. Tenten, you use the explosives on the spiders and webs; watch out for Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru. Temari, use your summoning jutsu and slice through the webs. Do it now!"

Both girls stood up straight and brought out their weapons. Tenten quickly went into action. She jumped into the air and began to launch explosive kunai and other forms of weapons across the room. Temari pulled out her fan and began her summoning jutsu. Her ferret appeared and she flung her fan and a large tornado swept through. I placed my hands up to protect my face and watched as webs ripped apart with spiders screeching everywhere.

The panic began to die down as the others realized what was going on. Hinata was freed with Temari's jutsu allowing Shino to bring her over to us. She removed the webs on herself before jumping down to save Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru. I ran back over to Gaara's side and nodded to him. As soon as they were free, he grabbed the four below and brought them back to our sand platform.

I sighed relief that everything was getting back under control. Now, if only we could locate Neji and Alysa we could…

"**Is this how you want to play? So be it!"** Kumo Konjou's angry voice vibrated across the room shaking everuthing. It was so strong and intense that I fell to my knees as I covered my ears.

"Gah!" I heard Tenten shout. I glanced over barely to watch as a web net flew at her pinning her to a wall. All those that were around her shared the same fate, and then Temari was once again grabbed with webbings.

"Shikamaru!" I heard her scream and watched as she flew through the air. I was about to jump after her when Gaara held me back. Kankuro flew his puppet out just scarcely grabbing a hold of Temari. He had only managed to repair Crow with the time and resources we had.

"**Nuisances! All of you! How dare you destroy my lair and kill my youngling! I should have just killed you while you were all dreaming!"** Kumo Konjou's anger was getting worse and much louder. Strange pounding noises and the moving of web vibrated. I watched where the vibrations were coming from and threw a flare in that general direction. A loud screech echoed and my eyes widen as I saw a very large hole that I hadn't noticed at all.

It was like a funnel that angled downward. I couldn't see where it went from here, but I assume it went underground.

_Of course!_ I thought. _Spiders live away from the light usually, and sometimes it's underground._ I mentally hit myself for forgetting this important factor. The flare went out before anything could catch on fire, and the hole vanished into darkness. I swallowed hard as everything and everyone got quiet.

I heard a disturbing noise that sent my stomach to feel sick. The creaking and cracking of bones as something stretched. A large spider leg shot out of the location of where the hole was. It shone in the available light before landing down. Several more shot out and more creaking sounded in the air. I placed a hand over my infected eye and bit my lip at sudden pain.

In that moment of pain, Kumo Konjou appeared. His body was the last thing to crawl out of his hole. He moved forward and stopped when he was fully out. I swallowed hard. Even with the clones memories it couldn't do justice to the enormous creature that stood before me. It was literally out of this world.

All my hope vanished in that instance that we could actually fight this and win.

"**Look at all of you insects acting as if you can truly defeat me. Me, the master of shadows and deception! You are such foolish insects, and as such should die as one! Caught forever in my webs and devoured slowly."**

Without warning, webs shot out and attached to Kankuro and his puppet, which made him release his hold on Temari. She flew through the air towards Kumo Konjou. I could do nothing, but watch. Webs wrapped around her until nothing but her shoulders and head were visible. Slowly, she was brought to be suspended up to the ceiling above Kumo Konjou. Then, light flowed into the room blinding us for a few moments. I narrowed my eyes and saw that it was the rays of the sun pointed directly at Temari.

"**With the sacrifice in place, it is now time for my host."**

This wasn't happening. Our plan was falling to pieces and we were unable to pick them back up. I felt webs wrap around my body and I was flung forward. Ino and Choji grabbed a hold of me unwilling to let this part our plan go through. I stared at them helplessly as I tried to understand what Kumo Konjou was doing.

In order to cross over into our world Kumo Konjou needed the rays of the sun. I didn't think about how exactly he could harness that and use it before. I glanced back and up towards Temari. He would need someone else to harness it for him. I couldn't be sure, but I could definitely sense that chakra was being forced into Temari. He was using some type of jutsu to channel the sun's rays into her body. The way we got here was through a ritual and song that Alysa had sung. She had been the key to going to this world of Chaos, and now Temari was the key to getting to our world.

But… why?

I searched through the memories of my clone. My clone and Temari's were the only ones that were supposed to die and be absorbed by us. I could understand why that needed to happen for me, but why for Temari as well? I closed my eyes concentrating on that factor alone. Ino and Choji were losing their grips. I needed to think fast.

Alysa was from this world. She was needed to transport us to this one. Why couldn't she transport us back home? Perhaps because she was from here and going the other way would be impossible, but how did she even get access to our world in the first place? If one could be sent back and forth to this world what was the issue with Kumo Konjou needing the sun's rays to get to our world?

"_**He's just a remnant of the shadows."**_ My voice suddenly echoed through my mind. My clone, no… rather the part of myself that I had lost, was speaking to me. _**"He's the master of shadows and deception. If he managed to get to your world through the way he sent Alysa, he would vanish. His deception only works upon the world where he was born from the shadows. We're being deceived that he actually has a physical from. The sun's rays provides the light he needs to pull away from the shadows and use the ability he used to send Alysa to your world to send himself. In order to harness that he needs a host, he needs you, but he also needs a host for the sun's rays since absorbing and using the rays of the sun kills the host. Temari was only picked because of the strong bond that you two share. That is the only reason. Your love for each other is so strong that it would bring him much power. You know what must be done, don't you? Do not worry about how to get home. The way Kumo Konjou needs to get home is different than the way you can get home. Alysa knows how, and also… don't worry she won't die from it. Now hurry!"**_

I opened my eyes and glanced at Ino and Choji giving a smile. "I'm sorry, you two, but you're going to have to let go."

"A-Are you crazy, Shikamaru?" Ino shouted as she got a better grip. Choji nodded in agreement with her with his grip tightening. "I don't care about the plan we had! It's really just crazy. I can't believe you'd still go through with it even after it's failing!"

"Maybe I am crazy, but I need you guys to let go of me and concentrate on getting Temari out of that webbing." They glanced to each other before glancing to back at me. Worry laced their faces. "If you don't… she's going to die before Kumo Konjou even places himself inside my mind and body, so… let go. I'll be fine."

I could tell this decision weighed heavily on their minds. They didn't like this idea at all, but I could also see them come to the conclusion of "what choice do we have?" appear on their faces.

They let go and I flew backwards towards Kumo Konjou. Webs wrapped around my body similar to Temari's before I was turned slowly around to face him. I could see wickedness in his eyes. I glared, but gave a scream as the pain on my eye began to spread across my entire face. I could feel myself slip back and forth out of consciousness.

"**With this, I can now take out the entire world. Nothing in this universe can stop me! Not one of you has the power to take me down, not even the Kyuubi!"**

My eyes felt droopy and shut. I could only place my hope into my friends that they would be able to prove Kumo Konjou wrong.

I thought flickered to my mind giving me the ability to smile even with the predicament I was in.

_Temari... I know what I'm going to ask you when we get back home, and you can't say no to this._

With that last thought my mind slipped and fell into darkness.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I made Shikamaru talk a lot. How uncharacteristic of him! Oh well, x.x;;

Probably not a good chapter, but I had to remake up what I was going to do since it had been so long since I had these ideas.

Chapter's not very long, but then again none of them are going to be as long as Chapter 15.

I hope that you did enjoy it! Comments and suggestions are welcomed.


	17. Home

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Time: Morning. Place: Kumo Konjou's Lair**_

_**Alysa.**_

My eyes shot open as I heard Kumo Konjou shout. _He must have begun the host transference process,_ I thought. I bit my lip as I looked around. No light reached where I was, but I could see just fine because of my eyes. I climbed up the web as its stickiness had no effect on me and stopped as I found Neji-kun.

He was unconscious as the impact had been hard. Spiders were wrapping webs around him, but I quickly shooed them away. I placed a hand on his face and patted it lightly.

"Neji-kun, please wake up…" I softly spoke into his ear. I heard a groan, but no other response. "Neji-kun!" I spoke a bit louder. He moved and I saw his eyes slowly blink open. They glanced around before closing again.

"Alysa…?" His voice broke sounding weak.

"I'm here, Neji-kun. Do not worry, you are not blind. It is merely dark where we are located."

"Is that so… Can you see what's going on?"

I glanced in the direction of Kumo Konjou. I could not see around him, but I could see Temari was unconscious and that a jutsu was being used on her. I wasn't sure what though, but she was in the ray of the sun that I knew it wasn't going to let her survive the jutsu. I closed my eyes to connect my mind with Itzal and Clash's minds.

"_What is going on, Itzal, Clash?"_

It took a moment, but Clash responded first to me. _"Everyone is in a panic here, Alysa-sama. Temari-sama and Shikamaru-sama have been captured and are both unconscious. The others have landed on the ground where webs have been destroyed in order to find the weakness of Kumo Konjou-sama. Many have landed down while I have remained by Itzal-sama's side with Sakura-sama."_

"_Nee-chan?"_ My brother spoke next.

"_Yes, Itzal?"_

"_You're okay, right? Neji-nii-san as well?"_ A smile came to my face. He never liked the Neji-kun from this world, but to see him become attached to the real Neji-Kun and so many already filled my heart with joy.

"_We're alright, Itzal. Don't worry, we'll be back to your side shortly."_

"_Do not do anything crazy, Alysa-sama."_ Clash intervened with a hiss. I bit my lip knowing that I probably would. _"Alysa-sama… Please don't resort to…"_

"_I'll be fine."_ I said interrupting his thoughts with mine. _"Just make sure Itzal is safe."_ And before either of them could answer and see what else I had in my mind I closed off our connection.

I took a deep breath and turned to Neji-kun to answer him. "It's chaotic over there. Kumo Konjou has made everyone start into a panic. They're trying to find his weak point, but it seems they are having trouble concentrating. Temari-san and Shikamaru-kun have both been captured by Kumo Konjou, and the ritual is beginning to start in full swing."

"Tch, we better help them then." Neji calmly responded with full trust in how I came to know of this. It surprised me, but also gave me an unusual, warm feeling in my chest.

"I'll land below you so I can catch you; it's not a far drop." I told him before hopping down to below. I looked up at him and watched as he concentrated his chakra outward to break the webbing. He fell down and I caught him before setting him down on his feet.

"I can see the chakra flowing through these webbings. Is this all coming from Kumo Konjou?" Neji asked.

I nodded before summoning Lindal and hopping onto his back pulling Neji up with me. "He's channeling it to make sure that only chakra can break you free."

"I see why he went after me and Hinata-sama. We are one of the few who can break free from this." Neji sighed. "Alright, lead the way."

I moved Lindal forward and he raced across the webs. He slowed down when we approached Kumo Konjou. Neji and I glanced up and around as we inched underneath him. I squinted my eyes as I tried looking for a weak point. It was hard to tell what could be there since I had never actually seen the underbelly of Kumo Konjou. Lindal came to a stop letting us examine as much as he wanted before he'd decide to move on.

Neji grabbed my arm and pointed to the abdomen at a strange purplish color that looked vaguely familiar. _Where have I…_ I began my thoughts, but Neji pulled my face down to look at his and held it in my hands. I don't know why, but I felt my face heat up at his touch. It also confused me why he kept staring at me.

After a moment, he let go and put his mouth to my ear. "That mark, I bet it's the weak point because it looks like what was infecting Shikamaru's eye and it looks sort of like your eyes."

_So that's what he was doing._ I sighed relief and gave him a nod. I glanced in front of us to see that our friends were being surrounded by spiders. "Neji-kun!" I pointed directing his attention to them. His eyes widen and he flew off Lindal and crashed down into the spiders before using Kaiten. The spiders flew everywhere and for the moment our friends were safe.

I watched them from afar and gripped my arm. They battled endlessly even though they were exhausted and losing stamina and energy. _I am so useless… I have been since I started this journey. Kumo Konjou… was the only thing that gave me strength._ I stood up and looked down at Lindal who stared curiously back at me. I could see he was asking what I would do.

_What can I do?_ I knew the answer to that, and it shamed me that I had given up.

Suddenly, my head began to hurt and I fell to my side tumbling off of Lindal. My eyes closed as I felt myself drift off to sleep.

-oO0-o)

My eyes flew open and I instantly realized I was not where I was supposed to be. I slowly sat up and looked around at my surroundings. As far as the eye could see everything was white. There were no buildings, no trees, no environment, and no people at all.

I gave a sigh and curled up placing my head into my knees. This place was inside Kumo Konjou's mind. He had entered mine and confined me to this isolated place. It would be difficult to get out of.

_But do I want to get out of it? There was no pain or suffering in here… but no I don't want the others to die. Yet, I can't do anything to help them; but wait… isn't this just naïve thinking? I…_

Unexpectedly, I felt something brush up against me. I flew up my head and blinked as I stared at golden eyes. In front of me was some type of creature I hadn't ever seen before. It stood so proudly and tall with on four legs with giant antlers upon its head. Brown fur that when I reached up to touched it, was a soft feeling that reminded me of when I was a child and Clash had first come to me. I slowly stood up and placed my hands and face against its side.

_Such… a gentle and warm feeling..._ I thought as my mind began to settle down._ I can feel its heart beating. What a brilliant creature this is. It's soothing all my pain._

I relaxed greatly then realized something as I stood away from it.

Where did it come from?

Kumo Konjou wouldn't make such an image in his mind. No, if anything it would have been an evil spider to confront me.

But then… who conjured up this brilliant creature that I could feel and embrace?

The creature turned its head at me blinking slowly before kneeling down and resting on its legs. It stared at me again until I understood what it wanted. Carefully, I climbed onto its back and positioned myself leaning forward some and grabbing around its fur. It stood up before taking a sudden dash and leap in front of us. My eyes widened as I gripped more tightly as the creature fled across the empty whiteness.

Then, gradually it came to a stop after what felt like hours passing as minutes. It bent its head down and pushed against something.

"Hey there… What did you find out there?" I gasped and quickly hopped off the creature to see if my suspicious of the voice were correct.

They were.

I gripped my hands as I stared down at Shikamaru-kun who had a very gentle smile on his face. Something I had only seen when he would glance at Temari-san. He turned his head and looked at me with surprise before smiling again.

"Did Kumo Konjou enter your mind too? C'mere, sit with me." I stared at him warily wondering if this really was him, but the way he moved, spoke, and looked… I knew it wasn't something Kumo Konjou conjured up.

I came and sat down next to Shikamaru-kun and so did the brilliant creature. I stared at it for a moment before opening my mouth to speak. "Shikamaru-kun… what is that?"

He gave me this weird look. "You're joking right? You've never seen a deer before?" I shook my head. "What… kind of animals have you seen…? Besides spiders of course."

I took a moment to think about that, "I have seen fish, rabbits, birds, many species of bugs, and a few types of reptiles."

"Is… that all there was in this world?"

"I do not know… It's all I saw before it became this twisted and messed up." I looked down sadly before curling up.

"Well, I think a tour of our world is in order when we get back!" He laughed. I gripped my legs before turning my head to look at him.

"How… how can you be so confident…? How can you think you'll escape from here and be able to defeat Kumo Konjou to get back home?" I shouted at him with frustration and anguish in my voice.

For a moment, he only stared at me calmly and just let me settle down as my frustration slowly diminished. After I was calm, he placed a hand on my head then turned it to look at the deer.

"You see this? He is one of the leaders of the deer I take care of at home. He's so familiar to me that I can imagine every aspect of him and bring him into just the area of my mind. I know his feeling, touch, color, and all the noises he makes, and I can easily feel it in my mind. I thought it was pretty hopeless at first as well. I know I can't break out of here because of how much energy and concentration Kumo Konjou is putting on my mind to keep me here. This white area… will probably soon turn black once he has control, but… you know what?" He glanced at me with a soft smile.

"I'm not going to give up. If I can conjure him up then I know I can place all my hope and faith into my friends… and myself."

I stared at him before feeling tears begin to roll down my face. I had forgotten what it was like to have such hope. I had lost it a long time ago and had been barely holding on right now. A smile came to my face when I realized how much the others were giving me strength, especially Neji-kun.

"You're right…" I began as I slowly stood up, "I have lost hope in my friends and also myself. I was going to give up and just let the end come. I had no faith that we could get through this at all." I turned my face to Shikamaru-kun and he smiled at me.

"What will you do now then?"

A smile crept to my face. "I'm going to wake up and get everyone back home."

-oO0-o)

I gasped loudly as my eyes flew up. I felt the dry, hot, sticky air of the webbings and surrounding of being near Kumo Konjou.

"Alysa! You're alright…" It was Neji-kun's voice. I turned my head to my left to see him peering down at me. I gave a smile then reached up and hugged him. I felt him stiffen for a moment before he slowly wrapped his arms around me. "Are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm fine, Neji-kun… I'm fine now. I found my way." I pulled back and smiled at him. I could see he understood because he had watched me struggle this entire time.

I stood up and noticed that Sakura-san, Itzal, and Clash were also next to me. Sakura-san gave me a grin while Itzal came up and hugged me.

"_What will you do now, Alysa-sama?"_ Clash asked me. I glanced around to find our other friends gaining the upper hand with the increasing number of spiders before looking up at the abdomen above me.

"I will get us home. Sakura-san, Neji-kun, will you help me?"

"Hell yeah!" Sakura-san replied enthusiastically.

"Of course, Alysa." Neji nodded as he stood up. "What is the plan?"

I pointed upwards toward the mark on the abdomen then glanced at them. "Sakura-san, you have great strength and only your power can throw us up there. Neji-kun, your ability to channel chakra through any person will be needed to strike at the mark. I will keep us webbed up there so that Kumo Konjou or his spiders do not shake us off."

"Understood!" They both replied at the same time.

"Clash, can you tell our friends that we need a few to catch Temari-san and Shikamaru-kun in a moment's notice?"

"_Of course, Alysa-sama."_ Clash skittered away quickly toward our friends. I looked at Itzal last and knelt down to him.

"Stay with Lindal and Sakura-san. Lindal will move you two away and out from under Kumo Konjou in case he comes crashing down." I smiled as Itzal gave a sad look, but slowly nodded. I stood up and glanced to Neji-kun and Sakura-san.

"Let's begin!"

Sakura-san wrapped her arms around me before swinging me around and tossing me straight up into the air. I launched out webs and attached them directly to the mark. I turned around and waited for Neji-kun to be thrown up to me. Sakura-san flew him with intense speed and I caught him with webbing before attaching him to Kumo Konjou's underbelly.

Neji-kun worked quickly and struck the mark several times. An ear-piercing screech vibrated all around as Kumo Konjou felt the pain of being hurt. The release on Shikamaru-kun hadn't loosened so Neji-kun stroke again and again until Kumo Konjou's body began to convulse. Shikamaru's webbing broke and he began to fall.

Immediately, Neji-kun wrapped his arms around me and broke the webbing. I flew out webbing to a wall as we fell. I glanced to our friends and saw that they had retrieved Temari-san and Shikamaru-kun. They hopped onto Gaara's sand as he floated the sand away.

Kumo Konjou began to convulse even more before staggering around. Eventually, his legs gave out and he dropped to the ground. Great relief washed over me as I couldn't have ever dreamed of this day coming, but I got myself together knowing there were still tasks to be done.

Kill Kumo Konjou and get us home.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Shikamaru.**_

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around. I saw the concerned faces of my friends making a smile come to my face.

"Shikamaru! I'm so relieved you're awake!" It was Choji's voice and I felt his embrace a few seconds later.

I coughed and gave a grin as I felt his strength hug me a little too tight. "C-Choji… a little… tight…" He loosened his grip and gave a sheepish smile. I shook my head then looked around at everyone. "Is it over?" I asked.

"Almost." I glanced up at hearing Alysa's voice. She looked much better than when I saw her in Kumo Konjou's mind. "We just need to kill Kumo Konjou, and then for me to teleport us home."

_Us…_ She no longer thought of herself as a stranger. I gave a silent relief before slowly standing up. My eyes glanced around to make sure everyone was alright. I saw Temari, whom was still unconscious, in Kankuro's arm. He saw my eyes and smiled.

"She's alright. She's lost a lot of energy and probably won't wake up anytime soon, but her life is not in any danger."

"Good… is everyone else alright?" I asked as I glanced around again. They all gave nods. "Then let's do this." I slowly turned around until I faced the dreaded eyes of Kumo Konjou. He looked so pathetic and helpless with his legs sprawled out over the ground and his body convulsing randomly.

We approached him slowly. I tried to figure out the best way to kill him, and I suppose the only way would be to strike him with everything we had now that he was vulnerable.

His eyes flickered to us, and for a moment I saw terror before it turned to rage.

"**You think you've won?" **He shouted out, but I could tell it was an effort to do so. **"You… cannot kill me! I will be reborn from the shadows again and start all over!"**

"That's where you're wrong." I answered crossing my arms. "Even if you are reborn from the shadows again we'll make sure that you'll never gain access to our world or anywhere else." I spoke with confidence and great knowing that we could prevent it.

He was silent as his eyes slowly shut. **"You'll never be safe…"** He sounded defeated, but I could tell he wouldn't accept it.

I glanced around at my friends and gave the signal. Everyone charged at once using their greatest jutsu they could muster with the strength they had left.

A surge of energy exploded and we all were flown away at the great amount of energy we had produced. A horrific, dying screeched pierced the air and sounded for several moments before stopping. I slowly stood up straight breathing heavily and stared at the body of Kumo Konjou as it convulsed again before slowly disintegrating into what seemed like smoke and shadows. Then, it was gone.

I felt the presence of Kumo Konjou leave my mind completely and also something crawling off of my face. I placed a hand up to my left eye feeling the infection slowly disappear. A smile came to my face as I plopped down.

"It's over." I said aloud. "It's really over…"

-oO0-o)

My left hand was on top of Kankuro's shoulder while my right hand was holding Gaara's.

We had formed a circle around Alysa, Itzal, Clash, and Neji. Neji was holding onto Alysa and Itzal while Itzal's hand reached out touching Sasuke's, and then to Sakura's. Her hand touched Hinata's before it reached back to the circle where Naruto was at the center with everyone else holding hands till it reached back to me.

I glanced to Alysa as she began chanting under her breath before I looked to my left looking at Temari in Kankuro's arms. I smiled softly and moved my left hand from Kankuro's shoulder to her face.

"I bet she'll wake up and start freaking out." Kankuro whispered rolling his eyes. "You're going to do it, right?"

I grinned knowing what he was asking. "Definitely, why wouldn't I after all we've been through?"

"Good, cause if you didn't, I'd personally beat you until you did!" Kankuro laughed and I sweat dropped before giving a sigh. I glanced to Alysa and watched her complete her chanting.

Light shone underneath her and flowed all around us. I felt light as we slowly floated up into the air.

"Now…" Alysa began spreading out her arms toward us, "everyone think of a place you want to be. Otherwise, we'll end up at the temple. Think of exactly the area you wish to teleport into…"

I closed my eyes and smiled. I knew the place that everyone would pick. How could we not pick it after all?

"We're ready, Alysa." I commanded.

"Precious Child of Time,

Take control of this place

Cast down your power

Let your anger be calmed

Use your power of Darkness

To disrupt this time

And send us back to your birth!"

The light that had been under us completely surrounded us making us blind. I remembered when Alysa had first done this sending us to this twisted world, but now the song seemed much gentler, and this time… we were heading home.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Time: Dawn.**_

_**Temari.**_

Something wet fell across my face. I swallowed hard when I felt cold, yet warm at the same time.

_Is… it over?_ I thought as tried moving my arms. I felt stiff. _Am I… dead?_

"Temari… wake up." Shikamaru's voice whispered into my ear.

_I must be dead. There is no way Shikamaru's voice would be that soft and calm if I was alive._

"Ah, come on, Temari! Are you going to lie there and fidget all day? I know you're awake." Shikamaru's voice cooed lightly.

Suddenly, I felt more wetness fall onto my face. I flew my eyes open and blinked as I was staring up at a dark cloud. I half-way closed my eyes when rain almost fell in my eye.

"Now that's my girl for waking up." Shikamaru laughed as I felt myself being pulled up and hugged.

I couldn't believe this was happening at all. I shifted my eyes around seeing all the faces of my friends. They were happy, laughing, grinning, joyous, and most of all… safe. My eyes travelled away from them for only a moment to see that we were in Konoha and on top of the Hokage Mansion.

We were home.

I gripped onto Shikamaru's shoulder realizing this wasn't a dream that I wasn't dead. We had done it; we had defeated that wretched spider and arrived home.

And I had missed everything.

I pouted and turned away from Shikamaru as soon as he released me. It wasn't fair and it made me angry.

I heard a sigh before my face was turned back and suddenly lips were upon mine. I flushed up immediately as Shikamaru slowly kissed me softly and gently. My chest bubbled up as I slowly kissed him back. It lasted for a moment, but it was something so sweet and refreshing.

"I haven't had a chance to give you a real kiss lately." Shikamaru laughed. I smiled at him then blinked suddenly feeling very embarrassed and bonked him on the head before getting up and pointing a finger at him.

"Time and place, you idiot!" I growled remembering that there were people around us. I heard laughter abrupt around me as Shikamaru rubbed his head mumbling, 'yeah, yeah…' I gave a sigh and a smile as I placed a hand to my head. I knew I couldn't stay mad at him for long.

He stood up and reached out giving me a hug. I wrapped my arms slowly around his back and placed my head onto his shoulder.

Happiness overwhelmed me and it felt wonderful to be in his arms as I had always wanted.

-oO0-o)

_**Several weeks later.**_

I stretched out of bed and looked around with a smile on my face. When we had arrived back into Konoha the Hokage was very relieved and at the same time very angry. I couldn't blame her; we had gone way beyond our mission and even disappeared.

I glanced up at the wall staring at the calendar.

Even though it had probably only been quite a few weeks in that messed up world we had been gone for almost a year. Thinking about it made me feel exhausted all over again. Konoha had practically given up on us. The only ones that truly believed we would be back were the Hokage, our Senseis, and our families. Most people that had known of our departure and had looked for us had given up, and the search had ended when they had no way of entering that spider's temple. We had all been amazed that it had actually been that long. Eventually, Alysa concluded that even though it seemed like time was moving normal for us, our world had been moving quickly due to the nature of that world.

For a week or so we had all been forced to rest and also explain in full detail what happened. Alysa, Itzal, and Clash had been turned over for interrogation, but thankfully that ended well. The Hokage, with all of us practically pleading with her, let Alysa, Itzal, and Clash live here in Konoha as much as they would love to stay.

I was happy that Alysa and her brother could finally be at rest, and also that they could have a family again.

I stretched one more time remembering that there was a party today and quickly changed into a lovely white dress that had ruffles and frills laced all around it. It was short in the front and only reached to about my knees, but the back part reached almost down to my ankles and flowed outward. There were several pink flowers on it with a few streamers and bows laced around them. I looked at the bow in my hand that would be wrapped around my waist to be placed on the back.

It was a lovely gift from Sakura, Tenten, Ino, and Hinata. I gave a smile that they would use their money to buy me such an amazing dress, but then the smile began to slowly fade as I stared at in the mirror. I began to think they had something up their sleeves as the dress was reminding me of something...

I was right.

They suddenly entered the room and began to examine me before messing with the dress and my hair. I tried to stop them, but eventually I gave up and let them do as they pleased. After they were done I began blushing at myself in the mirror.

My usual hair step up of four pigtails had been completely changed. My hair was down and had slight curls to it. They had pulled it back with a beautiful white, laced band. Attached to the sides of the band were white lilies with pink streamers coming off of them. The dress they had fixed up, and had placed the bow onto me tying it nicely in the back so there were streamers coming off of it. It almost made me think I was box that had been wrapped up nicely with a bow to be given as a gift to someone.

As I slowly stared at the image of myself I began to realize what I looked like. I clenched my hands and turned to the four girls behind me and shook my fists at them.

"WHY ARE YOU DRESSING ME UP AS A BRIDE?" I shouted. They began to laugh as I reached out to shake one. Sakura became my victim as I shook her arms. She stuck out her tongue and was easily able to release my grip and turn me around.

"C'mon, don't worry about it! Let's just go to the party, Temari-san." Sakura began to push me out of the room with Hinata, Ino, and Tenten following after.

I glanced back at them as we got to the front door to place on shoes. They were wearing pretty fancy dresses that made them look like bridesmaids. I couldn't even begin to understand what they were even planning.

They rushed me out the door and dragged me down the street toward the location of our party. A weird feeling enveloped my stomach as I wonder why I suddenly felt anxious and excited at the same time.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**Time: Late Morning, almost Afternoon. Place: On top of the Hokage's Mansion.**_

_**Shikamaru.**_

I fidgeted greatly as I messed with the pink/red flower on my jacket. I was wearing a white suit, with a black undershirt, and white pants. Sasuke smacked my hand as I almost pulled the flower off.

"Relax, Shikamaru. You can do this." Sasuke encouraged me. I glanced at him and gave a few nods. I took a deep breath as I ran my hand through my hair that was down. It was brushed back and meant to look very nice and formal. Sometimes a few strands would fall onto my face, which my mom would fidget with until she had it perfect.

I placed a hand on my chest as I felt it begin to beat up very quickly. It was very hard to believe that I was going through with this, and that I was doing it this way.

I placed my hands in my pockets feeling what was in there and gave a smile. I thought about what I told Kankuro and nodded to myself knowing why I was going through it. I also remembered the last thought I had before Kumo Konjou had began to take over my body.

I was going to ask her, and with this set up she'd be super angry and embarrassed, but I had the confidence to know she definitely would not say no. If she did, I would surely look like a total idiot.

"Shikamaru-kun!" I blinked when I heard Alysa's voice. I saw her wave toward me with the loveliest smile I had ever seen on her face. Neji was next to her with the same smile and his hand tightly around hers as they came up to me.

"Alysa, Neji! Hey you two look great as a couple." I grinned making Neji blush and glare at me. Alysa looked the most embarrassed as she pulled her hands up to her face to cover the redness there.

"Yeah? You look great as you are now." Neji shot back at me making me feeling nervous all over again. He patted my shoulder as he led Alysa to stand at her designated spot before he came up besides Sasuke.

I glanced to my left to see Sasuke, Neji, Naruto, and Choji next to my side. A smile came to my face as I realized how happy I was to have them there. My eyes glanced to my right to see Tsunade-sama in a proper outfit that looked off on her. She glanced at me giving a grin before patting my back hard. I coughed slightly making the few around us laugh lightly. I glared at Tsunade-sama who only continued to grin at me.

Just to the right of her was Alysa in her beautiful light purple dress. It was something Neji had asked to be specially made for her. It was of a simple design, but flowed gently around her as the wind blew. Her long, green hair was no longer tied up and had small curls to the end to look nice. I smiled again knowing that out of all the people to find someone, Neji had always had the hardest time doing so.

Sasuke nudged me in the side suddenly and pointed toward the stairs that led up to the Hokage Mansion's roof. My eyes trailed over there seeing Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Tenten appear tossing flowers down the pathway as they came over to us eventually to stand next to Alysa. Kankuro and Gaara appear next in their black and red suits before I gasped at the beautiful flower that appeared behind them attached to their father's arm.

The golden hair that flowed softly around her bare shoulders and shone brightly in the sun as the wind lightly blew at it, the emerald eyes that gave me warm feelings beyond nothing else and flickered from great surprise, embarrassment, anger, and nervousness as she stared back at me, the beautiful white, floral dress that showed off her legs and fluttered out behind her as she began to slowly walk, and the beautiful face that I would never take my eyes off of made me realize one thing at that moment.

Temari was beautiful beyond comprehension, and I would never let her go nor regret this decision I was making right now.

I took a deep breath as I waited for her to come up to me. Her father let her go and nodded to me before going to stand with my family. I turned to Temari and she looked at me and I almost laughed as I saw the anger well up on her face.

Reaching into my pocket, I brought out the necklaces of my family and stared at them before handing over the one I had given to her a long time. She stared at it and bit her lip as she watched me kneel down and hold her hand.

"I know this isn't really how it's supposed to be done; heck I didn't even think I would have done it this way." I smiled up at her, "but now that I think about it… I wouldn't have it any other way. So, before I start rambling and lose my nerves… Temari, I ask that you marry me." I held out the necklace that had the keyhole in it.

I watched as her face turned into many different emotions: Surprise, embarrassment, confusion, happiness, and then finally anger. She bonked my head before tears began to roll down her face.

"Time and place, you idiot… I told you that before!" She muttered as the tears continued. I stood up and grinned at her. "But… of course I'll marry you, you blockhead!" She took my hand and slowly placed the key necklace she had and opened it up. I heard her gasp as she looked at the beautiful, emerald ring with small desert flowers laced around it that had been changed for her. I took it out and closed the box before placing the necklace back on my neck, which she mimicked with her necklace, and grabbed her hand.

"Ahaha! Now that this has begun in full swing, let the wedding begin!" Tsunade-sama announced cheerfully and shouts of joy sounded all around us.

When we finally said our "I dos" we kissed passionately and lovingly thinking the same thoughts.

_She is going to always be mine._

_He is going to always be mine._

"_And we will always be together."_

_**The End.**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_I started out young and naïve._

_I progressed through learning._

_As the years passed by, I came to the end._

_But by then I realized it was too late._

_I could not correct my mistakes that I had made as a child._

It has been four years and nine months since I started this story. I am relieved to finally finish it, but saddened how naïve I was when writing it. I knew only some of Naruto when I started writing Loves such a drag, but by the middle of the story I learned many things that would have changed the beginning of the story. By the end of the story I learned much that I could not apply anymore.

This is my first completed story, and as we all know we make mistakes. We learn from these mistakes and continue forward, but some cannot be fixed. I hope you can forgive me for a lot of my foolishness in this story, but I also hope that you enjoyed it, and that you were pleased with my ending!

Please tell me what you thought, and even advice to what I can do in the future.

I appreciate all of your support that I've had in the past! Some of your comments/reviews helped me continue even though it took me a year or more to actually update the last four chapters. Those comments really did keep me going to complete.

Thank you.


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